SB Energy Will Build 10 GW of New Generation for OpenAI’s 8 GW-IT Ohio Campus
- AI Energy Demand Data Centers News
Marin Holt
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- 7 minutes read
- Compute capacity: 8 gigawatts-IT
- New generation committed: at least 10 GW
- NVIDIA guarantee: up to $105 billion
- Initial phase: 4.25 IT-GW
- Construction jobs: 35,000 through 2032
OpenAI has agreed to take about 8 gigawatts-IT of capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio. The 20-year lease was announced on August 17, 2026. SB Energy, the SoftBank unit, will build, own and operate the campus. SB Energy and SoftBank state they will build at least 10 GW of new energy generation to serve it. NVIDIA guaranteed up to $105 billion in conditional lease and power payment obligations to SB Energy, according to an NVIDIA SEC filing.
That credit support secures an initial 4.25 IT-GW of capacity. NVIDIA holds an option on the remaining 3.75 IT-GW. NVIDIA will be the exclusive compute provider at the site. It is also investing $1.5 billion in SB Energy.
The generation figure is the number that matters for the grid. Most large data center deals argue over how much existing supply a campus will draw. This one is built around new supply. Axios reports that 9.2 GW of new gas-fired power is ultimately envisioned for the Ohio project. U.S. officials say Japan is funding part of the buildout under the 2025 trade and investment deal.
OpenAI states that SB Energy will pay the full cost of the grid upgrades and new transmission lines needed to serve the data center. It states those costs will not be shifted to Ohio or other ratepayers in the region. That promise is the most testable claim in the announcement. Cost allocation for large loads is decided in rate cases and interconnection agreements, not in press releases.
The campus sits on private land and federal property that once held the Portsmouth gaseous diffusion plant, a Cold War uranium enrichment complex. The data center will use closed-loop, air-cooled cooling that recirculates water instead of cooling towers. OpenAI says ongoing water use will resemble an office building serving a similar headcount.
OpenAI expects 35,000 construction jobs across a six-year buildout through 2032 and 2,500 long-term operating jobs. An initial $80 million community benefits fund pairs $40 million from OpenAI with $40 million already committed by SB Energy.
Critical Perspective
The article highlights SB Energy’s commitment to building 10 GW of new generation, a substantial figure that dwarfs typical data center energy demands. However, this massive power commitment for OpenAI’s 8 GW data center invites skepticism, especially when compared to the 10 GW of new solar capacity that Sunrun pledged for its residential solar installations, a project that faced significant delays and scaling challenges. Historically, large energy infrastructure projects tied to single entities have proven vulnerable, such as the ill-fated Pebble Mine project in Alaska, which was ultimately abandoned due to environmental concerns and uncertain economic viability. Given the concentration of risk in NVIDIA’s relationship with SB Energy, what happens to the 10 GW of generation if NVIDIA’s own business model shifts or its financial commitments falter?
Why It Matters
A 10 GW self-supply commitment changes what a data center interconnection request looks like. If SB Energy builds its own generation and pays for its own transmission, the campus stops competing with existing ratepayers for scarce capacity. If it does not, Ohio inherits a 9.2 GW gas fleet tied to one tenant.
Utilities and state commissions should read the tariff terms rather than the jobs number. Ask three questions. Who holds the obligation if OpenAI ends the lease before 2046? Which entity signs the interconnection agreement for 9.2 GW of gas? What happens to the transmission upgrades if only the initial 4.25 IT-GW gets built?
The financing structure invites the same question. NVIDIA supplies the chips, guarantees the lease payments, and holds an equity stake in the developer. That arrangement concentrates a lot of risk in one vendor relationship.
