WASHINGTON — In a decisive move redefining American technological sovereignty, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping Executive Order on Wednesday, officially expanding the massive 'Stargate' AI initiative into a dual-pronged AI and crypto infrastructure strategy. The directive, signed exactly one year after the initial unveiling of the $500 billion Stargate partnership, establishes a new "National Strategic Tech Reserve" and codifies federal protections for self-custody digital assets.
The 'Stargate' Pivot: Merging AI Compute with Blockchain Finance
The original Stargate project, launched in January 2025 as a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, focused primarily on building the world's largest supercomputing clusters in Abilene, Texas, and across the Midwest. Today's Executive Order marks a significant strategic pivot, designating these massive data centers not just as private commercial hubs, but as critical national security assets under the newly formed "National Strategic Tech Reserve."
Under this new framework, the administration aims to integrate US blockchain infrastructure directly with AI compute capabilities. The White House argues that robust, dollar-backed stablecoin regulation is essential to managing the immense liquidity flows required for paying the energy and hardware costs of the $500 billion buildout. "Energy is currency, and compute is the new gold," President Trump stated from the Oval Office. "We are ensuring that America controls the mines, the mints, and the vaults of the digital age."
Protecting Self-Custody and Stablecoin Innovation
For the cryptocurrency industry, the Executive Order delivers long-awaited regulatory clarity. Crucially, the text explicitly protects the right of American citizens to maintain self-custody digital assets, effectively prohibiting federal agencies from banning non-custodial wallets. This move is seen as a direct counter to previous regulatory attempts to restrict peer-to-peer transactions.
The order also directs the Treasury to finalize a framework for stablecoins within 90 days. By encouraging private stablecoin issuers to integrate with the Stargate financial layer, the administration hopes to cement the US dollar's dominance in the global AI economy. Industry analysts suggest this could lead to stablecoins being used to settle real-time payments for GPU usage and energy consumption within the Stargate network.
The AI and Crypto Czar takes the Helm
Overseeing this ambitious convergence is David Sacks, the administration's AI and Crypto Czar. Sacks, who has been instrumental in shaping the administration's "light-touch" regulatory approach since his appointment in late 2024, will lead the task force managing the National Strategic Tech Reserve.
"The separation between AI and crypto is artificial," Sacks told reporters at a briefing following the signing. "Stargate is about raw power—computational power and financial power. By securing our AI infrastructure and liberating our financial rails through crypto, we are building a fortress for American innovation that no adversary can breach."
OpenAI and SoftBank Reinforce Commitment
The OpenAI SoftBank partnership remains the engine of this initiative. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI's Sam Altman, both present at the signing, reaffirmed their commitment to the US market. The expanded scope of Stargate is expected to accelerate the deployment of the next generation of reasoning models, powered by Oracle's cloud infrastructure and funded through increasingly sophisticated digital asset markets.
As construction on the Stargate facilities accelerates in Texas and new sites in the Rust Belt, the integration of a federal crypto strategy signals that the administration views blockchain not as a niche financial sector, but as the operating system for the future of American industry.
