Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) has agreed to invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy as part of a major artificial intelligence infrastructure project in Ohio that will provide computing capacity for OpenAI.
Under the partnership, Nvidia will become the exclusive provider of AI compute infrastructure at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County. SB Energy will develop, own and operate the facility, while OpenAI will use the campus under a 20-year lease.
Ohio campus could reach 8 GW of AI capacity
The initial phase of the project is designed to provide 4.25 IT-GW of AI factory capacity. Nvidia will also have an option covering the remaining 3.75 IT-GW, potentially increasing the campus to a total of 8 IT-GW.
The facility will be based on Nvidia’s DSX AI factory platform, incorporating the company’s GPUs, CPUs and networking technologies.
Capacity is expected to become operational progressively from 2028, making the development a significant long-term addition to U.S. AI computing infrastructure.
Nvidia joins SoftBank and OpenAI as SB Energy investor
Nvidia’s $1.5 billion commitment will make it an investor in SB Energy alongside existing backers SoftBank Group and OpenAI.
Supporting the enormous electricity requirements of the campus will require substantial investment in power generation and transmission infrastructure. SB Energy and SoftBank plan to develop at least 10 GW of new energy generation capacity.
They also intend to invest at least $4.2 billion in new regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio.
Development of the campus involves collaboration with AEP Ohio, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Commerce, reflecting the scale of the energy and infrastructure requirements associated with the project.
$80 million fund targets benefits for local communities
The development will include an $80 million community benefits fund intended to support the surrounding region.
The total combines SB Energy’s previously announced $40 million commitment with an additional $40 million contribution from OpenAI.
Funding will be directed towards areas including affordable energy, employment, workforce training and wider community and economic development.
Former nuclear enrichment site set for AI redevelopment
The PORTS-Pike Technology Campus is being developed on the site of the decommissioned Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Appalachian Ohio.
SB Energy has positioned the project as an opportunity to reindustrialise the region by transforming a former industrial site into a large-scale AI and energy infrastructure hub. The development will span both privately owned and federal land.
The project also brings together some of the largest participants in the AI, technology and energy sectors, with Nvidia supplying the computing infrastructure, OpenAI providing long-term demand and SB Energy overseeing development and operation.
Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan acted as financial advisers to SB Energy, while Morgan Stanley advised Nvidia.