Satya Nadella Takes a Jab at Trump’s Stargate AI Megaproject Amid Controversy
2 min. read
Published on
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team. Read more
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has added his voice to the skepticism surrounding Stargate, a massive new AI initiative unveiled by former President Donald Trump. Despite Microsoft’s deep ties to OpenAI, which is leading the project, Nadella questioned Stargate’s feasibility in a recent CNBC interview, echoing concerns raised by Elon Musk.
“All I know is I’m good for my $80 billion,” Nadella quipped, referencing Microsoft’s planned investment in its own data center infrastructure this year. His comments followed Musk’s criticism of Stargate’s financial claims, which include $100 billion in initial funding and an ambitious $500 billion over four years.
Nadella later doubled down in a response to Musk on social media, emphasizing Microsoft’s practical approach to AI investments. “And all this money is not about hyping AI, but about building useful things for the real world!” he wrote, subtly contrasting Microsoft’s approach with the grand promises of Stargate.
This pushback is surprising given Microsoft’s close relationship with OpenAI, which has received nearly $14 billion in funding from the tech giant since 2019. While Microsoft was once the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, Forbes reports that the arrangement has changed, and Microsoft’s role in Stargate is now less central.
Stargate, a collaboration between OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank, MGX, and others, claims to be building the infrastructure needed to support artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, Musk has questioned its financial viability and called its claims overstated. Sources close to Stargate have denied these allegations, but the project remains under intense scrutiny.
Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have a long history of public clashes, with Musk calling Altman a “swindler” and resurfacing old criticisms Altman made about Trump. Altman, in turn, suggested Musk’s opposition may be driven by jealousy, as Stargate is tied to OpenAI rather than Musk’s own AI startup, xAI.
Nadella’s comments seem to distance Microsoft from Stargate’s more speculative ambitions, focusing instead on real-world applications for AI. While Microsoft remains heavily invested in OpenAI, the exact details of its financial stake are unclear, especially as OpenAI transitions to a for-profit model.
User forum
0 messages