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Sen. Cruz Tours Oracle and OpenAI’s AI Data Center in Abilene, Applauds Announcement of Further Investment in Texas

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ABILENE, TX – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) toured OpenAI’s flagship AI data center in Abilene, Texas. Following the tour, Oracle and OpenAI announced an additional expansion of the flagship Stargate site in Abilene in addition to a $500 billion commitment to build a series of AI data centers in the U.S., including plans to open a site in Shackelford County, Texas.

The Abilene data center is already underway, and its cloud infrastructure enables OpenAI to train models like ChatGPT. The project is projected to contribute over $1 billion in direct and indirect economic benefit to Abilene over 20 years and will supply thousands of local jobs.
Sen. Cruz said, “Texas is leading the way to make sure the United States beats China in the AI race. This is the beginning of a long-term effort to invest in American jobs, supply the additional power needed for AI, and deliver products and services that will benefit all Americans.”

BACKGROUND

Sen. Cruz recently released a policy framework that outlined how Congress must partner with President Trump to advance American AI leadership.

He introduced the SANDBOX Act, which simplifies federal regulation for AI use and would give entrepreneurs the room to breathe, build, and compete within a defined space bounded by guardrails for safety and accountability.

The framework will also include legislation that would streamline federal permitting for AI infrastructure to ensure that federal AI permitting policy matches the example set in this Texas project.
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