FILE PHOTO: Foxconn Chairman and CEO Young-way Liu speaks at an industry forum in Taipei, Taiwan April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo

(Fixes typo in paragraph 1)

By Wen-Yee Lee

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Foxconn said on Monday it plans to manufacture data centre equipment with Japan's SoftBank at the Taiwanese firm's former electric vehicle factory in Ohio, part of the Stargate project to advance U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Softbank has purchased the Lordstown site, Foxconn Chairman Young Liu told reporters, adding that Foxconn will continue operating the site via a venture the two companies will set up.

Foxconn said earlier this month it had struck a deal to sell the factory and its machinery for $375 million, without naming the buyer.

Stargate is a joint venture between SoftBank, ChatGPT's creator OpenAI and Oracle. The project was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in January, who said that the companies would invest up to $500 billion.

SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SoftBank and Foxconn started preparatory work for the project more than half a year ago, Young added.

"We understand that for this project, the first priorities are power, venue, and timing — it cannot be delayed for too long. Taking all these factors into account, we believe Ohio is a very suitable location, and SoftBank shares this view," he said.

(Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee; Additional reporting by Anton Bridge in Tokyo; Writing by Brenda Goh; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)