Nvidia is investing $1.5 billion in a massive AI data center campus in Ohio where OpenAI will operate under a 20-year lease, with the project ultimately requiring 8 gigawatts of computing capacity and at least 10 gigawatts of new electricity generation.
The scale of the development—comparable to several large nuclear power stations—demonstrates the growing strain AI infrastructure is placing on U.S. energy systems, with SB Energy and SoftBank planning to invest at least $4.2 billion in regional grid infrastructure to support the site.
What happened
Nvidia is backing a massive AI data center development at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, where OpenAI will be the customer under a 20-year lease. The first phase will deliver 4.25 gigawatts of IT capacity, with Nvidia holding an option for another 3.75 GW, reaching 8 GW at full buildout. Nvidia will invest $1.5 billion directly in SB Energy, the infrastructure company (backed by SoftBank and OpenAI) that will build, own and operate the site. Development is expected to begin in phases starting in 2028.
Why it matters
The project underscores how AI data centers are reshaping U.S. electricity demand and forcing major infrastructure investment. At full buildout, the 10 GW of new electricity generation required would be comparable to the output of several large nuclear power stations—a concentration of demand at a single industrial site. SB Energy and SoftBank plan to invest at least $4.2 billion in regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio, and the arrangement is structured to prevent costs from being shifted to existing electricity customers.
What to watch
The phased development beginning in 2028, and whether the project succeeds in delivering both the promised computing capacity and the supporting power infrastructure. The scale is significant: 10 GW of generation capacity represents one of the largest new sources of electricity demand concentrated at a single location. The site is being built around the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility in southern Ohio, with involvement from the U.S. Departments of Energy and Commerce.
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Nvidia's $1.5 billion investment in the Ohio campus signals a structural shift in how AI infrastructure companies approach power and real estate—no longer as afterthoughts, but as core competitive assets requiring coordinated billion-dollar commitments to electricity generation and grid capacity. The partnership between Nvidia, SB Energy, SoftBank, and OpenAI reflects the reality that access to electricity has become one of the principal constraints on new computing capacity, as stated in the article. By securing a 20-year lease for OpenAI and structuring the arrangement to prevent costs from shifting to existing electricity customers, the developers are attempting to address public concern about energy costs while enabling the extreme scale the project demands.
The location on the site of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant—a major Cold War uranium enrichment facility—represents an interesting reuse of existing industrial infrastructure in southern Ohio. The involvement of the U.S. Departments of Energy and Commerce signals federal backing for the redevelopment into a technology and power hub, which may reflect both enthusiasm for AI-driven economic development and recognition that the nation's energy and data center infrastructure needs coordinated public-private investment.
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