OpenAI has paused its Stargate UK data centre project, shelving plans for a major AI infrastructure investment in the country. According to OpenAI, the project was halted due to high energy costs and regulation. The Stargate UK project was part of a larger investment series announced during Donald Trump's state visit, with major media reports valuing it at either £150 billion or £31 billion, creating uncertainty about the exact scale. The project aimed to deploy up to 8,000 AI chips, expandable to 31,000, and would have been based at Cobalt Park, North Tyneside, according to multiple sources.
Critics, including Tory business spokesman Andrew Griffith, blamed Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's Net Zero policies for the high energy costs that led to the investment pause. Griffith said at a press conference that Miliband's energy policy had cost the UK another huge investment. In response, the Tony Blair Institute urged Labour to open up the Jackdaw gas and Rosebank oil fields, while Keir Starmer signalled openness to oil and gas being part of the energy mix. The pause has raised questions about the UK's ability to attract large-scale tech investments amid rising energy prices.
Ed Miliband's suicidal energy policy has just cost us another huge investment.
Separately, OpenAI has indefinitely paused plans to release a sexualized adult mode for ChatGPT, according to The Financial Times. The decision followed pushback from employees and investors concerned about the harmful effects of sexualized AI content. Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the adult mode was delayed due to advisor warnings about risks including a 'sexy suicide coach'. OpenAI's age-prediction system misclassified minors as adults about 12% of the time, according to the same sources, raising safeguarding concerns. The company wants to research long-term effects of sexually explicit chats and emotional attachments before making a product decision, and stated there is currently no 'empirical evidence' on the effects, according to The Financial Times.
Earlier reports had suggested OpenAI was preparing an adult mode for ChatGPT set to launch in early 2026. OpenAI's CEO of Applications confirmed the feature for the first quarter of 2026, and research sources indicated a possible December launch, but refinements may push it later. The adult mode would have allowed verified users access to mature conversations while maintaining strict safety protocols, according to research sources. OpenAI employs advanced AI to infer user age based on behavior and context for age verification, and the feature integrates into existing ChatGPT models without requiring a separate NSFW version. Safety measures block content involving minors, illegal activities, non-consensual scenarios, violence, abuse, or exploitation. Age verification occurs through AI analysis in select countries initially. However, the indefinite pause now casts doubt on whether the feature will ever launch.
There is currently no 'empirical evidence' on the effects.
In organizational updates, OpenAI has opened a new London office in King's Cross with capacity for 544 workers, according to multiple reports. The company currently has about 200 staff in London. OpenAI experienced a major outage on 20 April 2026, affecting users globally. Three senior managers are reportedly leaving the company, according to multiple sources, though their identities and reasons remain unclear. CEO Sam Altman declared a 'code red' in December, suggesting competitors are closing in, according to research sources. The status of OpenAI's text-to-video platform Sora also remains unknown.
The conflicting reports on the Stargate UK investment value—whether it was part of a £150 billion series or a £31 billion package—highlight the uncertainty surrounding the project's scale and economic impact. Similarly, the status of ChatGPT adult mode is disputed: while earlier reports indicated a launch in early 2026, The Financial Times now reports an indefinite pause. These contradictions underscore the challenges OpenAI faces in balancing ambitious expansion with regulatory, safety, and investor pressures.