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Stargate Milam County

Burlington, Milam County, TXDeveloper: SB Energy, SoftBank

Also known as Freebird

Under constructionPhase 1 topped out March 2026; state filing lists Oct 15 completion
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

A planned 1.2 GW Stargate data center in Milam County, which SoftBank's SB Energy will build and operate, with OpenAI signed as tenant. OpenAI and SoftBank announced the site in September 2025 and each invested $500 million in SB Energy in January 2026. The first phase, code-named Freebird, is a 548,950 sq ft four-hall building that reportedly topped out in March 2026.

Planned capacity
1.2 GW[3]

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity1.2 GW [3]
Site size595 acres [9]
Adjacent to SB Energy's Orion Solar Belt project, per June 2025 report
Source excerpt
“The company, owned by SoftBank Group, plans to build multiple data center buildings spanning 1.5 million square feet on 595 acres adjacent to its Orion Solar Belt project, one of the largest solar installations in the country.”
Floor area548,950 sq ft [7]
Phase 1 (Freebird), four data halls, single story
Stated investment$470 million [7]
estimated cost of Phase 1 building per state filing, as reported
Target completionInitial facilities in service starting 2026 (company); Phase 1 filing lists Oct 15 completion; Epoch AI projects full 1.2 GW by Q4 2028 [6]

How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.

Power

Power supplySB Energy plans new generation (and storage) to supply most of the campus's power [3]

Water

Water sourceCompany says the site is designed to minimize water use (no figures given) [3]
CoolingClosed-loop water cooling [9]
Source excerpt
“The facilities will use a closed-loop water cooling system and emit minimal light and noise, addressing residents' environmental concerns, company representative Karl Brutsaert said in a public meeting.”

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesMilam County approved a reinvestment zone; county said it would not consider an abatement until SB Energy signed a tenant (as of June 2025) [9]
Source excerpt
“Milam County approved a reinvestment zone, but county officials said they will not consider a tax abatement package until SB Energy signs a tenant.”

Local decisions & site

Parcel / addressCounty Road 133, Burlington, TX 76519 (Phase 1 project location) [10]
project location in the state accessibility registration for Freebird Data Center Phase 1 (TABS2026017746); owner listed as Milam County Data Center LLC
Source excerpt
“COUNTY ROAD 133, Burlington, TX 76519”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Water and power

Water

Not disclosed. No source reviewed gives a water figure for this site. The Census does not estimate one.

Power

Planned capacity1.2 GW [3]
Power supplySB Energy plans new generation (and storage) to supply most of the campus's power [3]

Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →

Timeline

  1. OpenAI and SoftBank announce Milam County as a Stargate site [1]

  2. OpenAI and SoftBank each invest $500M in SB Energy, which will build and operate the site [5]

  3. Phase 1 reported topped out [7]

  4. Filing for 548,950 sq ft Freebird Phase 1 reported [7]

Sources

  1. OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites
    OpenAI · Sep 23, 2025 · company
  2. OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites
    SoftBank Group Corp. · Sep 24, 2025 · company
  3. OpenAI and SoftBank Group partner with SB Energy
    OpenAI · company
  4. OpenAI and SoftBank Group Partner with SB Energy
    SB Energy · company
  5. SoftBank's SB Energy to build and operate OpenAI's 1.2GW Stargate data center in Milam County, Texas
    DCD · Jan 12, 2026 · news
  6. OpenAI Stargate: where the US sites stand
    Epoch AI · Apr 20, 2026 · other
  7. OpenAI Stargate's Milam, Texas, 'Freebird' data center to span 548,950 sq ft in first phase
    DCD · Apr 22, 2026 · news
  8. Stargate Milam County Data Center
    Data Center Map · other
  9. SB Energy's $3B data center bet wants tenants for tax breaks
    The Real Deal · Jun 10, 2025 · news
  10. TDLR TABS - Project Details
    Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · government

Cite this page

Last updated Sep 23, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.

APAData Center Census. (2026). Stargate Milam County. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/stargate-milam-county-tx
MLA“Stargate Milam County.” Data Center Census, Sep 23, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/stargate-milam-county-tx.
Linkhttps://datacentercensus.com/dc/stargate-milam-county-tx

Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.