Foxconn Technology Group confirmed Monday that SoftBank has acquired its Ohio manufacturing plant for $375 million as part of the troubled Stargate artificial intelligence initiative, marking another attempt to salvage the much-delayed project.
The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer will continue operating the 6.2-million-square-foot Lordstown facility to produce AI servers and data center equipment, according to Chairman Young Liu. The plant previously assembled electric vehicles before Foxconn struggled to find viable customers for the operation.
SoftBank’s purchase represents the latest effort to advance Stargate, the $500 billion infrastructure venture with OpenAI and Oracle that President Donald Trump announced in January. The project has faced significant setbacks since its debut, with reports indicating disagreements between SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI’s Sam Altman over locations and financing structures.
Despite initial promises to deploy $100 billion immediately, Stargate has scaled back its near-term goals, according to recent Wall Street Journal reporting. The initiative now targets opening a modest data center by year-end rather than the sweeping infrastructure rollout originally envisioned.
The Ohio acquisition leverages existing electrical infrastructure and land capacity suitable for AI operations, Liu noted. However, questions persist about SoftBank’s ability to secure the massive capital requirements for the broader Stargate vision, particularly as cheaper AI alternatives emerge from competitors like China’s DeepSeek.
