UK's £20B Stargate Plan Called PR Stunt by Source
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- OpenAI and Nscale failed to visit the Cobalt site or lodge planning forms for the Stargate project, despite UK ministers publicly promoting the plan
- The £20bn figure was characterized as 'potential' within a broader £30bn AI investment that a source described as appearing 'hypothetical,' labeling the whole effort a 'PR stunt'
Why it matters: UK ministers used the £20bn Stargate Cobalt announcement to signal Britain's competitiveness in the AI infrastructure race, but the absence of any site visit or planning filing from OpenAI and Nscale undercuts the claim that real commitments backed the headline number — meaning what looked like a landmark investment may have been political theater rather than shovel-ready infrastructure.
