Chipmaker Nvidia has agreed to guarantee up to $105 billion in lease payments to help artificial intelligence company OpenAI secure a sprawling data center being developed by SoftBank-backed SB Energy in Ohio, Reuters reported.
Jensen Huang-led Nvidia will invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy and secure up to 8 gigawatts of AI computing capacity at the campus. The data center developer will build, own, and operate a campus, and OpenAI will use it under a 20-year lease, the companies said Monday.
The chip giant has secured land and power connections for an AI data center in Pike County, Ohio, according to Reuters. The data center will have an initial capacity of 4.25 gigawatts (GW) and is expected to be operational in phases starting in 2028.
Nvidia will also be able to expand the project for additional capacity in the future, as the company also has an option to acquire the remaining 3.75 GW.
The Huang-led company will exclusively provide AI compute infrastructure on campus and is providing credit support for land, power, and building construction linked to the initial 4.25 GW capacity in the first phase.
According to NVIDIA’s newsroom, SoftBank and SB Energy plan to build new power generation facilities and invest in new regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with American Electric Power (AEP) Ohio.
AI company OpenAI said the project is expected to create about 35,000 construction jobs through 2032 and about 2,500 long-term jobs for day-to-day operation and maintenance once the data center is operational.
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