SoftBank has acquired Foxconn’s former General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio, with plans to convert it into a facility for building AI servers for the Stargate AI project, Bloomberg News reported.
The Stargate project is a collaborative effort between SoftBank, OpenAI, and Oracle, announced shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration. The project initially involves a large data center under construction in Texas, with plans for further infrastructure development in other states and countries. Bloomberg had previously reported that SoftBank faced challenges in securing funding for the project, which was also affected by Trump’s trade policies.
The Lordstown factory was originally purchased by Foxconn in late 2021 from electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors. Foxconn’s Chairman Young Liu had expressed intentions to develop it into North America’s “most important electric vehicle manufacturing and R&D hub.” Although the sale was finalized in 2022, Lordstown Motors filed for bankruptcy a year later. Other potential Foxconn customers, including Fisker Inc. and IndiEV, also ceased operations.
The implications of the sale for Monarch Tractor, a California-based startup developing electric and autonomous farm equipment and Foxconn’s sole remaining customer at the Ohio factory, remain unclear. Neither Foxconn nor SoftBank have commented on the sale or its impact on Monarch Tractor.
