Nvidia Backs 8-GW Ohio AI Campus for OpenAI With $1.5 Billion Investment

Nvidia Backs 8-GW Ohio AI Campus for OpenAI With $1. 5 Billion Investment Charles Kennedy Tue, August 18, 2026 at 3:30 AM GMT+2 3 min read NVDA 9984. T Nvidia is backing a massive artificial intelligence infrastructure development in Ohio that could ultimately require at least 10 gigawatts of new power generation, underscoring the rapidly growing impact of AI data centers on U.

S. electricity demand. The chipmaker said it has partnered with SB Energy to secure land, power and data center shell capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, where OpenAI will be the customer under a 20-year lease.

The first phase is designed to provide 4. 25 gigawatts of IT capacity, with Nvidia holding an option covering another 3. 75 GW.

At full buildout, the project would provide 8 GW of AI computing capacity. SB Energy, which is backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and OpenAI, will build, own and operate the data center infrastructure. Nvidia will exclusively supply the site's AI computing systems, including GPUs, CPUs and networking equipment through its DSX AI factory platform.

The planned scale of the development highlights the increasingly close relationship between AI infrastructure and the energy sector. SB Energy and SoftBank plan to develop at least 10 GW of new electricity generation to support the campus and invest at least $4. 2 billion in regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio.

The companies said the arrangement is structured to prevent the costs of serving the data center campus from being shifted onto existing electricity customers. Development is expected to proceed in phases beginning in 2028. The campus is being built around the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a major Cold War-era uranium enrichment site in southern Ohio.

The developers are working with AEP Ohio as well as the U. S. Departments of Energy and Commerce to redevelop the area into a large-scale technology and power hub.

Nvidia will also invest $1. 5 billion directly in SB Energy, joining SoftBank and OpenAI as investors in the infrastructure company. The funding will support SB Energy's broader expansion as demand grows for purpose-built electricity and data center infrastructure serving AI computing.

The project adds to a wave of multibillion-dollar data center developments that are transforming U. S. power demand forecasts.

Hyperscalers and AI companies are increasingly seeking dedicated generation, transmission capacity and long-term power arrangements as access to electricity becomes one of the principal constraints on new computing capacity. The PORTS-Pike development is particularly notable for its scale: 10 GW of generation capacity would be comparable to the output of several large nuclear power stations and represents a major new source of electricity demand concentrated at a single industrial site. Story Continues The developers also plan significant local investment.

OpenAI has added $40 million to an existing $40 million community benefits fund established by SB Energy, bringing the initial fund to $80 million. The money is intended for programs including energy affordability, workforce development and regional economic development. The companies said the project could ultimately support tens of thousands of jobs in Ohio.

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