
Mint Quick Edit | Should Trump’s Stargate inspire India’s own?

Summary
- America’s big AI infrastructure project signals how pivotal winning an ‘arms race’ in this technology is seen to be as China challenges US dominance. India must catch up.
One major announcement that Donald Trump made soon after assuming office as US president was of the country’s Stargate project.
Backed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank, among others, it aims to expand the artificial intelligence infrastructure in the US.
The $500-billion project will start with $100 billion ploughed in, expected chiefly from Softbank.
Also Read: Sam Altman’s $7 trillion AI plan: But then, how else can we save the world?
Amid cheers for what looks like a geo-strategic initiative to stay ahead in a global AI “arms race", what stood out was the scepticism over its financing expressed by Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump.
This invited a rebuttal from Sam Altman, with whom Musk had co-founded OpenAI before parting ways. Their relations since have been fraught with public signs of acrimony, which may have had a role in this episode.
Also Read: Sam Altman’s strategic ambiguity on AI sounds a lot like doublespeak
While Musk can hardly have hoped to be the sole tech leader working closely with the Trump administration, the fact that tech companies are signing up for a national mission is a strong signal of how high the AI stakes have risen in the great power rivalry underway.
Chinese AI is America’s big worry. Having started late, India clearly needs to catch up.