Satya Nadella Criticizes Stargate AI Venture Despite Microsoft’s Ties To OpenAI

Photo: CNBC screengrab

India-West News Desk

SEATTLE, WA – Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella joined Elon Musk in publicly questioning the viability of the Stargate artificial intelligence megaproject unveiled earlier this week by President Donald Trump.

Nadella’s remarks come as a surprise, given Microsoft’s substantial financial backing of OpenAI, which serves as Stargate’s operational leader, according to Forbes.

In a viral clip from a CNBC interview on January 22, Nadella indirectly addressed Musk’s skepticism about Stargate’s financial capability, saying, “All I know is I’m good for my $80 billion,” referencing Microsoft’s planned investment in data center infrastructure this fiscal year. The comment followed Musk’s public critique of Stargate, which claims to have $100 billion in initial funding and promises $500 billion over four years.

Later, in a response to Musk’s repost of his interview, Nadella emphasized, “And all this money is not about hyping AI, but is about building useful things for the real world!”

While Microsoft had previously announced its partnership with Stargate in a blog post, Forbes noted the company is no longer the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, which remains a key Microsoft investment.

Stargate, a collaboration between OpenAI, Oracle, and global investors including SoftBank and MGX, aims to develop infrastructure to support artificial general intelligence. Despite Musk’s claims that Stargate’s financial promises are overstated, Forbes reported a source close to the project refuted his allegations.

The rivalry between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has only added to the controversy surrounding Stargate. Musk, who cofounded OpenAI in 2015 before splitting from the organization, has openly clashed with Altman on social media, calling him a “swindler” and resurfacing Altman’s past criticism of Trump.

Meanwhile, Altman suggested Musk’s opposition stems from Stargate’s success being tied to OpenAI rather than his own AI venture, xAI.

Microsoft, which invested nearly $14 billion in OpenAI between 2019 and 2024, retains a significant financial stake in the company. However, Forbes pointed out that details of Microsoft’s equity in OpenAI remain unclear, as the company transitions from a nonprofit to a for-profit model.