For Nvidia, the agreement extends its involvement beyond supplying the computing hardware inside AI data centers. The company is securing the physical capacity needed to house its systems at PORTS-Pike, describing access to land, electricity and facilities as increasingly important to deploying AI infrastructure.
“AI is becoming infrastructure – the foundation for intelligence in every industry – and land, power and shell have become vital in the age of AI. Now is the time to scale the AI infrastructure that will power the next industrial revolution,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said. “We are securing long-lived infrastructure for NVIDIA compute so OpenAI can deploy the most productive AI factories that can be upgraded repeatedly with each new generation delivering more intelligence and better economics.”
OpenAI will be the customer using the computing capacity. SB Energy and SoftBank plan to develop at least 10 GW of new energy generation to support 8 IT-GW of AI factory capacity. At least $4.2 billion is also slated for regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio that the companies say is structured to protect ratepayers.
The PORTS-Pike project is being developed around the decommissioned Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and nearby land. The campus spans private and federal property and involves collaboration with AEP Ohio, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Capacity is expected to begin coming online in phases in 2028.
“This is going to be a huge site, with enough computing power to help millions of people use AI to do things we can only start to imagine today, from finding new medicines to starting businesses and solving hard problems,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said. “We’re proud to build it in Pike County, a place that is once again at the heart of American industry and leading the future. We want the people who live here to feel the benefits too, through good jobs, more opportunity for local businesses, and investment in the community for years to come.”
The companies also outlined commitments tied to the surrounding community. OpenAI is adding $40 million to SB Energy’s previously announced $40 million community benefits fund, bringing the total to $80 million. The funding is intended for priorities including affordable energy, workforce development, job creation and broader community and economic development. The project is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs in Ohio.
Nvidia’s separate $1.5 billion investment in SB Energy makes it an investor alongside SoftBank Group and OpenAI. Nvidia said the capital will support SB Energy as it expands its AI infrastructure development activities, including work in Pike County and other communities.
The project brings Nvidia, OpenAI, SB Energy and SoftBank into a single infrastructure development built around large-scale AI computing and the power needed to support it. Nvidia will supply the computing stack and secure the initial site capacity, OpenAI will use the resulting infrastructure, and SB Energy will own and operate the data center.
Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan advised SB Energy on the transaction, while Morgan Stanley served as Nvidia’s financial adviser.
This analysis is based on reporting from NVIDIA.
Image courtesy of NVIDIA.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
