Leading technology firms are increasingly tying together chips, power and data centre development as they race to meet soaring AI demand
Nvidia has agreed to guarantee as much as US$105 billion in lease payments to help OpenAI secure a sprawling data centre in Ohio being developed by SoftBank-backed SB Energy, in one of the chipmaker’s largest infrastructure financing commitments.
The chip giant will also invest US$1.5 billion in SB Energy and secure up to 8 gigawatts of AI computing capacity at the site, where the data centre developer will build, own and operate a campus for OpenAI under a 20-year lease, the companies said on Monday.
The deal is the latest example of Nvidia financing the infrastructure built around its chips, a strategy that helps drive demand but has also raised questions about circular funding flows between the chip giant and its customers.
Nvidia has secured land and power for the facility in Pike County, Ohio, for an AI data centre with an initial capacity of 4.25GW, expected to come online in phases beginning in 2028. One gigawatt is enough electricity to power roughly 750,000 US homes.
The chip giant will exclusively provide AI compute infrastructure at the site and is providing credit support for land, power and shell construction tied to the initial capacity. It also has an option to secure the remaining 3.75GW.
Leading technology firms are increasingly tying together chips, power and data centre development as they race to meet soaring AI demand, while ageing grids, lengthy approval processes and scarce land and power capacity constrain new projects.