August 17, 2026, (Inside AI) — NVIDIA has secured exclusive rights to host its AI compute infrastructure at SB Energy's PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio. The agreement guarantees NVIDIA as the sole AI compute provider at the site, with OpenAI as the customer for up to 8 IT-GW of capacity.
The deal includes credit support from NVIDIA for land, power, and shell buildout to secure an initial 4.25 IT-GW, with an option for the remaining 3.75 IT-GW. SB Energy will build, own, and operate the data center under a 20-year lease to OpenAI.
NVIDIA will also invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy, joining existing investors SoftBank Group and OpenAI. The campus is expected to create tens of thousands of Ohio jobs and includes an initial $80 million community benefits fund.
The PORTS-Pike campus will use NVIDIA's full-stack DSX AI factory platform, including GPUs, CPUs, and networking. Planned capacity is expected to come online in phases beginning in 2028.
This announcement marks a significant escalation in the race to secure AI infrastructure. Land, power, and shell capacity have become critical bottlenecks as AI demand outpaces available compute. NVIDIA's move to lock down exclusive access to an entire campus signals a shift from selling chips to controlling the physical foundation of AI factories.
"AI is becoming infrastructure - the foundation for intelligence in every industry - and land, power and shell have become vital in the age of AI. Now is the time to scale the AI infrastructure that will power the next industrial revolution," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "We are securing long-lived infrastructure for NVIDIA compute so OpenAI can deploy the most productive AI factories that can be upgraded repeatedly with each new generation delivering more intelligence and better economics."
Industry analysts note that this deal mirrors a broader trend of chipmakers and hyperscalers vertically integrating into energy and real estate. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have all announced multi-gigawatt data center projects in the past year. NVIDIA's direct financial stake in SB Energy, however, is unusual and suggests a deeper strategic bet on controlling the full stack.
Ohio's Nuclear Past Becomes AI's Power Future #
The PORTS-Pike campus sits on the decommissioned Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility. The site's existing high-voltage transmission infrastructure and federal land status made it attractive for large-scale data center development.
SB Energy and SoftBank will build at least 10 GW of new energy generation to support 8 IT-GW of AI factory capacity. They will also invest at least $4.2 billion in regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio, designed to protect ratepayers from cost shifts.
"Infrastructure is vital for the AI economy. With SoftBank Group, OpenAI and NVIDIA, SB Energy is building power-first infrastructure at unprecedented scale while strengthening the communities that make it possible - protecting ratepayers, creating tens of thousands of well-paying jobs, and investing in infrastructure to revitalize Southern Ohio that has long shaped America's future," said Rich Hossfeld, co-CEO of SB Energy.
The project spans private and federal land, developed in collaboration with AEP Ohio, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. OpenAI has added an incremental $40 million to SB Energy's original $40 million community benefits fund, targeting affordable energy, job creation, and workforce development.
SoftBank's AGI Ambitions Meet Appalachian Reality #
The announcement also highlights SoftBank's growing role in AI infrastructure. SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son has repeatedly stated that artificial general intelligence will arrive within a decade. This project gives SoftBank a direct stake in the physical layer needed for that vision.
"The next era of intelligence will transform every industry -- and require infrastructure built at unprecedented speed and scale. Together with our partners, SoftBank will help unlock the power of AGI and move humanity forward," said Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman framed the project as both a technological and community investment. "This is going to be a huge site, with enough computing power to help millions of people use AI to do things we can only start to imagine today, from finding new medicines to starting businesses and solving hard problems," said Altman. "We're proud to build it in Pike County, a place that is once again at the heart of American industry and leading the future. We want the people who live here to feel the benefits too, through good jobs, more opportunity for local businesses, and investment in the community for years to come."
Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan served as financial advisors for SB Energy. Morgan Stanley served as NVIDIA's financial advisor. The press release notes that it does not constitute an offer to sell securities.