OpenAI Cancels UK Stargate; Apple Names John Ternus CEO

OpenAI canceled its Stargate UK compute infrastructure project, pointing to high local energy costs and regulatory uncertainty. The plan had aimed to expand the company’s training capacity in the United Kingdom with new data centers and partner arrangements. OpenAI characterized the decision as driven by region-specific difficulties rather than technical problems with its models.

Stargate was intended to add substantial training capacity in the UK and had attracted investment discussions and partner interest. The cancellation removes a planned data-center commitment in the region and follows a broader review of several large-scale compute initiatives.

Ross Kelly, a news and analysis editor, described Stargate UK as “a flagship expansion to compute capacity across the UK,” and noted the project faced obstacles largely outside the company’s control.

Apple named John Ternus as its incoming chief executive. Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and most recently served as senior vice president of hardware engineering, overseeing Mac hardware and other product teams. The company did not provide a precise date for when he will assume full CEO responsibilities; the announcement was released alongside April product and organizational updates.

AI startup DeepSeek released its v4 Pro frontier model in April. Market reaction was muted, and industry commentary highlighted concerns about supply-chain and energy dependencies tied to large-scale model training. Ross Kelly warned that some companies could increasingly rely on Chinese energy, chip supply and AI training services, making them less exposed to potential trade restrictions.

OpenAI emphasized that local energy prices and grid capacity influenced its siting decisions for large training facilities. Regulators’ rules on data handling and AI safety were cited as additional factors that can affect project timelines and the choice of locations for new infrastructure.