OpenAI has announced a new Request for Proposals (RFP) aimed at strengthening the U.S. AI supply chain by expanding domestic manufacturing capacity across key components of advanced AI infrastructure. The initiative builds on the company’s broader push to scale AI infrastructure in the United States while supporting reindustrialization, job creation, and long-term technological leadership.

The announcement comes as part of OpenAI’s ongoing Stargate initiative, which focuses on building the physical infrastructure required to support advanced AI systems at national scale.

OpenAI framed AI infrastructure as a long-term economic driver, noting that the systems required to power advanced AI represent a historic opportunity to modernize U.S. manufacturing and energy systems.

According to the company, since launching the Stargate initiative nearly one year ago, OpenAI has announced planned infrastructure capacity that places it well over halfway toward its 10-gigawatt commitment. OpenAI stated that these investments are already translating into job creation and local economic growth in communities across the United States, and that it plans to build on this foundation by accelerating domestic investment across the broader AI supply chain in the years ahead.

The newly announced RFP is focused on U.S.-based manufacturing across multiple layers of the AI supply ecosystem. OpenAI is seeking proposals from manufacturers, suppliers, and partners that are already operating—or are prepared to build—critical production capacity within the United States.

Areas of focus include:

Together, these focus areas reflect OpenAI’s intent to support domestic manufacturing across multiple layers of the AI ecosystem, setting the stage for a broader redefinition of what AI infrastructure entails.

OpenAI noted that discussions around AI infrastructure often focus narrowly on chips and data centers, but said advanced AI systems depend on a much broader ecosystem of physical components. According to the company, bringing AI infrastructure online at scale also requires racks, cabling, networking equipment, cooling systems, power systems, power electronics, electromechanical modules, and sufficient testing and assembly capacity.

Through this RFP, OpenAI aims to identify where targeted partnerships, demand signals, and coordination can help:

Responses to the RFP will help inform procurement strategies, partnerships, and infrastructure planning as OpenAI continues to expand its physical footprint.

OpenAI positioned the RFP as part of a broader trend toward reindustrialization, highlighting ongoing investments by U.S. manufacturers in advanced production capabilities tied to the AI ecosystem.

According to the company, these efforts include:

OpenAI stated that strengthening domestic manufacturing is critical to ensuring that the economic benefits of AI are created and shared within the United States.

Proposals will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, with follow-up discussions conducted with selected respondents. Submissions are open through June 2026.

Q: Who can submit proposals to OpenAI’s RFP?
A: OpenAI is seeking proposals from manufacturers, suppliers, and partners that are building—or are prepared to build—AI-related manufacturing capacity within the United States.

Q: What will OpenAI use the proposals for?
A: Responses will help inform partnership decisions, procurement strategies, and long-term infrastructure planning tied to OpenAI’s AI infrastructure expansion.

Q: Why is OpenAI focusing on domestic manufacturing now?
A: OpenAI framed domestic manufacturing as essential to scaling advanced AI infrastructure reliably, shortening build timelines, strengthening supply chain resilience, and ensuring the economic benefits of AI infrastructure development remain within the United States.

Q: How long will the RFP remain open?
A: Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a submission deadline of June 2026.

OpenAI’s move underscores a growing reality: the future of AI will be shaped as much by manufacturing capacity, energy systems, and physical infrastructure as by model performance. As AI systems scale, bottlenecks in power delivery, cooling, hardware assembly, and robotics components increasingly determine how fast AI can be deployed—and where.

By explicitly prioritizing U.S.-based manufacturing, OpenAI is signaling that AI leadership is no longer just about innovation speed, but about industrial readiness. Where infrastructure can be built quickly and reliably, AI adoption accelerates. Where it cannot, progress slows—regardless of software advances.

For communities, this shift ties AI growth directly to domestic jobs, workforce development, and long-term energy investment. For policymakers and industry leaders, it reframes AI as a systems challenge that spans technology, manufacturing, and national competitiveness. And for the broader AI ecosystem, it highlights that resilience—not just scale—will shape the next phase of AI expansion.

In that sense, this RFP is less about procurement and more about positioning: who will have the capacity to support advanced AI systems at scale, and who will benefit economically as AI becomes embedded across industries.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.