Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit
i_love_retros | on: Stargate Project: SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, MGX to build data centers
What does it have to do with Trump then? Why was he involved?
umeshunni | parent | next
He love the publicity and most people won't realize that he doesn't have anything to do with this.
aylmao | root | parent | next
AI very much has to do with the state. It's an arms race between China and the USA, per many [4]. And China doesn't seem to be behind any longer [1].

It's not only Trump. Before leaving Biden already ordered the DoE and the DoD to lease sites for data centers and energy generation. The only reason we don't see a "Department of AI" or a "National AI Agency" is due to how the military industrial complex works, and a lot of lobbying I'm sure.

[1] https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3295662/beijing-mee...

[2] https://www.insideglobaltech.com/2025/01/20/biden-administra...

[3] https://www.utilitydive.com/news/biden-doe-dod-lease-sites-a...

[4] https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1110269/there-ca...

FrustratedMonky | root | parent
Funny how he said he did this, but then right during the press conference they mention the data centers already under construction from Biden time frame.
rchaud | parent | next
Because $500b is not a number anybody will commit to without significant assurances regarding tax breaks, access to labour, security etc which can only be provided by the state.

Musk cannot ban Chinese autos from the US market, but the government can. Same goes for Tiktok, Zuck cannot force Americans not to use it. AI is the next battlefield and further bans will be coming down the line to make sure the investment is protected.

api | root | parent
Musk could also work to make Tesla more competitive with BYD in the mainstream American car market instead of making Tesla double and then triple down on a weird niche product like the Cybertruck that will never appeal to many people. Tesla had a huge lead in EV tech that they seem to be squandering by not addressing boring stuff like build quality, giving BYD plenty of time to catch up. Their whole product line is starting to look stagnant.

Keeping BYD out won't help if all the other car makers also catch up. If BYD pulls far enough ahead they could just create a US division and make cars here like Toyota and Nissan do. Nissan is on the ropes, so maybe BYD could just buy them and make that their US brand and get all their factories and supply chains.

If Tesla kept iterating on the Model 3, released the Model E, and Musk stayed out of divisive politics that alienate customers, Tesla had a chance to own the mainstream of the US auto market for the next 50 years. I'd say that's gone now.

ethbr1 | root | parent
Person who was right a few times, despite others naysaying, assumes they're right on new things, especially as they get older...

That's certainly not a thing that's ever happened before. /s

loading story #42795031
JumpCrisscross | parent
> What does it have to do with Trump then? Why was he involved?

One of the broken parts of the American system is permitting. Trump can sidestep that by letting this be built on federal land. That, in turn, unlocks investment.

Beyond that, DoD and DoE are massive buyers of compute. Seeding the venture with purchase agreements from them de-risks the project further.

Finally, by Trump putting his name to it he assigns it his bully pulpit's prestige. (Though that doesn't appear to have carried over to Musk, who's already taking pot shots at it.)