Holly Herrera
Nvidia backs Ohio with a proposed AI computing campus whose full buildout would deliver 8 gigawatts of computing capacity. The project also calls for at least 10 gigawatts of new power generation, putting the question of who builds and pays for electricity infrastructure at the center of a major data center expansion.
Project specifications and timeline
| Detail | Plan |
|---|---|
| Location | PORTS Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio |
| Customer and lease | OpenAI, under a 20 year lease |
| Computing capacity | 4.25 gigawatts in the first phase, with Nvidia holding an option for another 3.75 gigawatts, for 8 gigawatts total |
| Power supply | At least 10 gigawatts of new generation planned |
| Price and availability | No project price announced. Development is expected to begin in phases in 2028. |
SB Energy will build, own and operate the campus infrastructure. Nvidia is set to provide the site’s AI computing systems exclusively, including GPUs, CPUs and networking equipment through its DSX AI factory platform. The companies have not provided a final construction schedule beyond the planned phased start.
Why Nvidia backs Ohio with an integrated power plan
The project differs from a data center expansion focused mainly on adding buildings and securing a utility connection. Here, the developers are pairing computing facilities with new generation and major grid work. SB Energy and SoftBank Group plan to develop at least 10 gigawatts of power, while a partnership with AEP Ohio includes at least $4.2 billion for regional electricity infrastructure.
The companies say the arrangement is designed to keep the cost of serving the campus from landing on existing electricity customers. That pledge addresses a growing concern as large AI facilities create concentrated demand that can require new generation and transmission capacity. The proposed generation figure is not the same as the campus’s computing capacity: the first measures planned electricity supply, while the latter describes computing infrastructure.
A former federal site becomes an AI hub
The campus is planned around the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War era uranium enrichment complex in southern Ohio. Developers are working with AEP Ohio and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Commerce to redevelop the area as a technology and power hub.
Nvidia is also investing $1.5 billion directly in SB Energy, joining SoftBank Group and OpenAI as investors. The funding is intended to support SB Energy’s wider growth as demand increases for electricity and data center infrastructure built for AI workloads.
There is a local investment component as well. OpenAI has contributed another $40 million to SB Energy’s existing $40 million community benefits fund, bringing the total to $80 million. Planned uses include energy affordability, workforce development and regional economic development. The companies say the development could support tens of thousands of jobs in Ohio.
Can the power plan keep pace with the campus?
The proposed scale reflects a broader shift: AI companies and cloud operators are seeking dedicated electricity supplies and longer term power arrangements as access to energy becomes a constraint on new computing capacity. At 10 gigawatts, the planned generation would be comparable to the output of several large nuclear power stations, concentrated around one industrial site.
The campus is still a phased development, with work expected to begin in 2028. Its progress will show whether new generation and grid investment can be brought online alongside computing facilities, while meeting the developers’ commitment not to shift service costs to existing customers.
James Stephens