Nvidia announced a major partnership to support construction of a large-scale artificial intelligence data center campus in Pike County, Ohio. The chipmaker will invest $1.5 billion directly in SB Energy, the company that will build, own and operate the facility. OpenAI will serve as the primary customer under a 20-year lease arrangement.
The initial phase of development is designed to deliver 4.25 gigawatts of IT capacity, with Nvidia holding an option for an additional 3.75 GW. At full buildout, the campus would provide 8 GW of AI computing capacity. Nvidia will be the exclusive supplier of AI computing systems, including GPUs, CPUs and networking equipment through its DSX AI factory platform. The project is expected to proceed in phases beginning in 2028.
The scale of the development underscores the substantial impact of AI data centers on U.S. electricity demand. Supporting the campus will require at least 10 GW of new electricity generation. SB Energy and SoftBank plan to invest at least $4.2 billion in regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio. The developers said the arrangement is structured to prevent costs from being shifted to existing electricity customers.
The campus will be developed at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility in southern Ohio. Developers are working with AEP Ohio and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Commerce to transform the site into a technology and power hub. OpenAI has contributed $40 million to an existing $40 million community benefits fund, bringing the initial fund to $80 million for local programs including energy affordability, workforce development and regional economic development. The project could ultimately support tens of thousands of jobs in Ohio.
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