President Donald Trump responded this week to criticism from tech billionaire Elon Musk regarding the newly announced $500 billion "Stargate" AI initiative, reigniting tensions between the two high-profile figures.

On Tuesday, Trump formally unveiled the Stargate project - a joint venture between OpenAI's parent company, SoftBank, and Oracle - emphasizing its potential to create over 100,000 American jobs and establish new data infrastructure. "This is about American leadership in artificial intelligence," Trump declared during the White House announcement.

However, Musk, who co-founded OpenAI before departing in 2018, publicly questioned the funding viability of the massive undertaking. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Tesla and SpaceX CEO cast doubt on SoftBank's ability to contribute meaningfully, suggesting the Japanese conglomerate could provide "far less than $10 billion" of the projected funding.

The criticism comes amid Musk's ongoing legal battles with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and reflects broader competition in the rapidly evolving AI sector. When pressed by reporters about Musk's remarks, Trump dismissed the concerns: "Elon's criticism doesn't affect me. He's got his biases about certain people involved in this deal."

The President emphasized that all participating companies were industry leaders and expressed confidence in the private sector's ability to fund the ambitious project without government assistance. "These are very, very wealthy people," Trump noted. "The money will be there because the opportunity is tremendous."

The Stargate initiative represents one of the largest private investments in AI infrastructure to date, proposing a network of advanced computing facilities across multiple states. While details remain scarce, administration officials suggest the project could accelerate U.S. capabilities in generative AI and quantum computing.

Industry analysts remain divided on the feasibility of the $500 billion target, with some echoing Musk's skepticism about funding sources while others point to growing corporate investment in AI infrastructure. "What we're seeing is the opening salvos in what will likely be years of competition for AI dominance," said technology analyst Miriam Goldstein. "The stakes couldn't be higher."

As the debate continues, all eyes remain on the Stargate project's next developments - both in terms of financial commitments and technological promises. The public sparring between Trump and Musk underscores how artificial intelligence has become not just a technological frontier, but a battleground for influence among the world's most powerful business and political leaders.