Nvidia invests $1.5B in Ohio data center for OpenAI

Nvidia's $1.5 billion investment in SB Energy represents a direct bet on OpenAI's capacity needs and cements the chipmaker's role as the foundational infrastructure provider for the world's largest AI labs. By becoming the exclusive AI compute provider at the Pike County site and backing the land and buildout costs with credit support, Nvidia ensures a captive customer for years to come. CEO Jensen Huang's revenue projections—as much as $200 billion from the initial 4.25-gigawatt phase alone, scaling to $600 billion by 2030 if Nvidia supplies 16 gigawatts—signal that Nvidia expects OpenAI's demand for compute to dwarf nearly every other revenue category. The investment also reflects the scale and capital intensity of modern AI infrastructure: a single data center campus requires billions in direct investment and another billions in ongoing chip supply.

The partnership structure—in which SB Energy owns and operates the facility while Nvidia provides financial support and infrastructure, and OpenAI secures long-term capacity under lease—distributes risk and capital across the three parties. For SB Energy and the Pike County region, the project promises substantial job creation (35,000 construction jobs through 2032 and 2,500 permanent roles) and economic activity. For OpenAI, it locks in a committed pipeline of AI chips and compute capacity. For Nvidia, it converts product sales into predictable, multi-decade revenue streams tied to OpenAI's growth.