Iran threatens OpenAI’s Stargate data center in Abu Dhabi

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has released a video threatening OpenAI's planned data center in Abu Dhabi. The threat, published on April 3rd, states that the IRGC will pursue the "complete and utter annihilation" of US-linked energy and technology companies in the region if the United States follows through on its threats to attack Iran's power plants. The video specifically showed an image of OpenAI's $30 billion "Stargate" facility, which is currently under construction in the UAE. The Stargate project, a massive undertaking by OpenAI, involves significant investments from major tech companies like Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, and SoftBank. While the exact completion status of the Abu Dhabi data center is unclear, an October 2025 update indicated that construction was "well underway" and aimed to deploy 16 gigawatts of compute power, with 200 megawatts targeted for 2026. The IRGC's video also included what appeared to be satellite imagery of the data center and photos of executives involved in the project, mistakenly identifying Cisco's chief product officer as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. This threat follows recent statements by President Donald Trump, who threatened to target Iran's power plants and "blow up the entire country" if it did not comply with US demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Foreign Ministry has responded by stating its determination to defend its national security and sovereignty.

(Source：The Verge)