Nvidia backs financing for OpenAI data center in Ohio

Key Points:

• Nvidia will provide credit and computing capacity for a new AI data center for OpenAI in Ohio, supporting an initial 4.25 gigawatts with an option for an additional 3.75 gigawatts, expected to come online in phases starting in 2028.
• SB Energy will build and manage the data center at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus under a 20-year lease to OpenAI, with investments from Nvidia, SB Energy, and SoftBank totaling billions in infrastructure and power sources.
• The project is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs through 2032 and 2,500 long-term positions, significantly expanding OpenAI’s access to high-end chips and compute power essential for AI development.
• Nvidia’s financing deal is part of a broader strategy to support AI data center expansion, following recent moves to provide up to $500 billion in hardware financing for data center projects amid concerns about circular financing in the AI sector.
• OpenAI President Greg Brockman emphasized that compute power is becoming a critical and limited resource in the AI industry, likening it to "the new oil" of the AI age.