OpenAI has entered a 20-year lease with SoftBank-backed SB Energy for approximately 8 gigawatts of IT capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio. SB Energy and SoftBank plan to build at least 10 gigawatts of new energy generation to support the campus.
The project will be built on private land and remediated land controlled by the US Department of Energy at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a former uranium-enrichment site. SB Energy will build, own and operate the data center, while OpenAI will be its customer.
The first 800 megawatts of capacity is expected to become available in 2028, with the six-year buildout continuing through 2032, according to OpenAI. Later phases will depend on new power and transmission infrastructure, permits, environmental reviews and financing. OpenAI said it expects to use the capacity for frontier AI training and growing demand for its products.
Nvidia takes a major role
Nvidia will be the exclusive provider of AI compute infrastructure at the site and is investing $1.5 billion in SB Energy. The initial deployment is designed to support 4.25 IT gigawatts of AI factory capacity using Nvidia’s full-stack DSX platform, including GPUs, CPUs and networking, Nvidia said.
Nvidia has also agreed to provide credit support tied to the initial phase. According to The Wall Street Journal, the arrangement could require Nvidia to cover a difference in the value of the completed data center of up to $105 billion if OpenAI leaves, SB Energy cannot find another tenant and the site cannot be sold for enough to cover its value.
The structure is designed to make the project easier to finance while limiting Nvidia’s exposure, the Journal reported.
“AI is becoming infrastructure – the foundation for intelligence in every industry – and land, power and shell have become vital in the age of AI,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said.
Ohio gets jobs and investment
The project is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs during its six-year buildout and 2,500 permanent operating jobs.
OpenAI and SB Energy will also invest a combined $80 million in community funding, with OpenAI contributing an additional $40 million to SB Energy’s existing commitment. The money is expected to support priorities including schools, public safety, health care, housing, workforce development and small businesses.
OpenAI will separately provide up to $84 million in Codex credits to approximately 844,000 eligible Ohio college, community college and technical school students aged 18 and older during the 2026-27 academic year. The companies said the project will pay its own energy and infrastructure costs, while SB Energy and SoftBank plan to invest at least $4.2 billion in new regional grid infrastructure.