OpenAI, SB Energy, and NVIDIA are building an 8 IT-GW AI campus in Ohio, backed by NVIDIA's $1.5 billion SB Energy investment and a prior $100 billion commitment to OpenAI, while SB Energy and SoftBank plan at least 10 GW of new power generation and $4.2 billion in grid infrastructure to support it.
How Are NVIDIA and OpenAI Teaming Up, and Which Partners Are Involved?
OpenAI, SB Energy, and NVIDIA are jointly building roughly 8 IT-GW of AI data center capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in OhioCITE:E1. Within this structure, NVIDIA is providing credit support for the campus's initial 4.25 IT-GW of Local Power System (LPS) build-out and holds an option to take on the remaining 3.75 IT-GW of capacity, while OpenAI has signed a 20-year lease with SB EnergyCITE:E4. This Ohio project builds on an earlier, broader partnership: in September 2025, NVIDIA announced a $100 billion (roughly NT$3 trillion) investment to build OpenAI's next-generation AI data centersCITE:E10, with the first gigawatt-scale system slated to go live on NVIDIA's Vera Rubin platform in the second half of 2026CITE:E12.
How Big Is the Mega Data Center, and What Are the GPU and Technical Specs?
The PORTS-Pike campus is sized at approximately 8 IT-GW, while SB Energy and SoftBank are planning at least 10 GW of new generation capacity to power itCITE:E1CITE:E2. This follows NVIDIA's September 2025 announcement that it would build OpenAI a next-generation AI data center with total power demand of 10 GW, equipped with millions of GPUs to support advanced AI model developmentCITE:E11. NVIDIA further estimates that each generation of its deployed AI Factory systems corresponds to about 1.5 million NVIDIA GPUsCITE:E7.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| PORTS-Pike campus capacity | 8 IT-GW | CITE:E1 |
| SB Energy/SoftBank planned new generation | at least 10 GW | CITE:E2 |
| Initial LPS build-out (NVIDIA credit support) | 4.25 IT-GW | CITE:E4 |
| NVIDIA's optional additional capacity | 3.75 IT-GW | CITE:E4 |
| September 2025 OpenAI data center power demand | 10 GW | CITE:E11 |
| GPUs per AI Factory generation | 1.5 million | CITE:E7 |
How Much Money Is NVIDIA Committing, and What Is Its Financing Role?
NVIDIA is investing $1.5 billion directly in SB Energy as part of its expanding role in AI infrastructureCITE:E3. Beyond that direct equity stake, NVIDIA is backstopping the PORTS-Pike build-out by providing credit support for the initial 4.25 IT-GW phase and holding an option on the remaining 3.75 IT-GW, while OpenAI's commitment takes the form of a 20-year lease with SB EnergyCITE:E4. This financing structure sits on top of NVIDIA's earlier and larger commitment: the $100 billion (about NT$3 trillion) investment announced in September 2025 to build OpenAI's next-generation AI data centers, which NVIDIA said would be deployed in a phased investment modelCITE:E10CITE:E12.
How Much Power Infrastructure Is Needed, and What Is the Build Timeline?
SB Energy and SoftBank plan to add at least 10 GW of generation capacity, with the first roughly 800 MW coming online in 2028CITE:E2CITE:E5. That initial phase will mainly draw on AEP's existing power infrastructure, while subsequent expansion will require new power plants and transmission facilities, with natural gas explicitly named as one power sourceCITE:E5. To support the broader build-out, SB Energy and SoftBank also plan to invest at least $4.2 billion in regional grid infrastructureCITE:E6.
| Power Milestone | Figure | Source |
|---|
| First capacity tranche online | 800 MW by 2028 | CITE:E5 |
| Planned new generation capacity | at least 10 GW | CITE:E2 |
| Regional grid infrastructure investment | at least $4.2 billion | CITE:E6 |
How Big Is the Commercial Opportunity for NVIDIA and OpenAI?
NVIDIA estimates that each generation of AI Factory systems, at about 1.5 million GPUs, could generate roughly $150 billion to $200 billion in revenueCITE:E7. Looking further out, NVIDIA says OpenAI's existing and planned NVIDIA Compute capacity is set to reach about 12 GW by 2030, and if the PORTS-Pike partnership is expanded beyond its initial 4.25 GW scope, that total opportunity could grow to about 16 GW, corresponding to roughly $600 billion in potential NVIDIA Compute business by 2030CITE:E8.
| Commercial Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|
| Revenue per AI Factory generation | $150–200 billion | CITE:E7 |
| OpenAI's NVIDIA Compute by 2030 (current plan) | ~12 GW | CITE:E8 |
| OpenAI's NVIDIA Compute by 2030 (expanded PORTS-Pike) | ~16 GW | CITE:E8 |
| Potential NVIDIA Compute business by 2030 | ~$600 billion | CITE:E8 |
Where Does This Fit in the Global AI Infrastructure Race, and How Is It Viewed?
The PORTS-Pike campus joins a cluster of US AI infrastructure projects now scaling toward 10 GW and beyond, including OpenAI's own Stargate project, which originally set a 10 GW build target, Fermi's Project Matador, planned at up to 17 GW, and Creekstone Energy's Delta Gigasite in Utah, planned at over 10 GWCITE:E9. On the technology side, NVIDIA's first gigawatt-scale system is due to go live on its Vera Rubin platform in the second half of 2026CITE:E12. Commenting on the NVIDIA-OpenAI partnership, Microsoft Taiwan General Manager Bian Zhixiang (卞志祥) said NVIDIA's investment in OpenAI would form a positive cycle, in which OpenAI develops models that are then delivered to industry through Microsoft's platform to advance general-purpose AICITE:E13. Bian also said Microsoft remains OpenAI's primary compute supplier, though OpenAI may seek other resources when its compute needs exceed what Microsoft can supplyCITE:E14. He added that Microsoft's Taiwan data center has activated more than 250 features synchronized with its global data centers, meeting multiple international regulatory standards for data complianceCITE:E15.
What This Means
Taken together, the figures show a partnership operating on two tracks: a $100 billion, 10 GW commitment announced in September 2025CITE:E10CITE:E11, and a more granular Ohio build-out disclosed in August 2026 that breaks that scale into an 8 IT-GW campus, a 4.25/3.75 IT-GW financing split, and a 2028 first-power dateCITE:E1CITE:E4CITE:E5. NVIDIA's dual role as both investor ($1.5 billion in SB Energy, $100 billion tied to OpenAI's data centers) and infrastructure financier (credit support and an option on additional capacity) sits alongside its own projection that the resulting compute business could be worth up to $600 billion by 2030CITE:E3CITE:E10CITE:E8. That projection depends on power delivery timelines — an 800 MW first tranche in 2028, scaling toward a 10 GW-plus build — set against a landscape where Stargate, Project Matador, and Delta Gigasite are pursuing comparable or larger gigawatt-scale targetsCITE:E5CITE:E2CITE:E9.