NVIDIA has secured land, power and shell capacity for an 8-gigawatt artificial intelligence data center campus in Pike County, Ohio, in a partnership with SB Energy that will make OpenAI the site’s customer.
The PORTS-Pike Technology Campus will be developed by SB Energy, which will build, own and operate the data center under a 20-year lease with OpenAI. NVIDIA will serve as the exclusive AI compute infrastructure provider for the campus.
The initial deployment will support 4.25 IT-GW of AI factory capacity, with NVIDIA holding an option to secure the remaining 3.75 IT-GW. The development is part of a broader plan to establish up to 8 IT-GW of AI computing capacity supported by at least 10 GW of new power generation.
The campus is being developed at the former U.S. Department of Energy Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and surrounding private land in southern Ohio. The redevelopment aims to transform the former industrial site into a major AI and technology hub. Federal officials previously designated the PORTS Technology Campus for FAST-41 coverage as the project advances through permitting and construction.
NVIDIA Secures Land, Power and Shell Capacity
NVIDIA’s agreement with SB Energy focuses on securing the physical infrastructure required to deploy large-scale AI computing capacity.
The arrangement covers land, power and shell, or LPS, capacity for the initial 4.25 IT-GW deployment. NVIDIA will also provide credit support tied to the infrastructure, helping SB Energy advance the campus buildout.
NVIDIA will have an option to extend its commitment to the remaining 3.75 IT-GW at the campus.
The company said securing long-lived infrastructure is becoming increasingly important as AI computing demand expands. The PORTS-Pike development is designed around NVIDIA’s DSX AI factory platform, integrating GPUs, CPUs and networking with the facility infrastructure and software required to operate large-scale AI workloads.
The architecture is intended to allow the campus to upgrade its computing systems as new generations of NVIDIA technology become available.
“This is going to be a huge site, with enough computing power to help millions of people use AI to do things we can only start to imagine today,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said.
OpenAI to Lease the 8 GW Campus
OpenAI will use the computing capacity at PORTS-Pike under a 20-year lease with SB Energy.
The arrangement gives OpenAI access to a large-scale AI infrastructure platform while SB Energy retains ownership and operational responsibility for the data center.
The initial 4.25 IT-GW deployment represents more than half of the planned 8 IT-GW campus capacity. The remaining 3.75 IT-GW could be added through NVIDIA’s option as demand for AI compute grows.
The project follows earlier plans to develop a much larger technology campus at the former Portsmouth site. In March, the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Energy announced a public-private partnership involving SoftBank, SB Energy and AEP Ohio to redevelop the site and modernize its energy infrastructure. The broader plan called for 10 GW of new power generation to support a new 10 GW data center development.
Construction is expected to bring capacity online in phases beginning in 2028.
$4.2 Billion Grid Infrastructure Investment
The data center will require a major expansion of the surrounding power infrastructure.
SB Energy and SoftBank plan to build at least 10 GW of new energy generation to support the campus. The development is also tied to at least $4.2 billion in new regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio.
The power investment is designed to support the AI campus while protecting electricity ratepayers in the surrounding region.
Earlier plans for the PORTS Technology Campus called for approximately 9.2 GW of natural gas-fired generation as part of the broader 10-GW power buildout. The U.S. government has described the project as a major effort to modernize Southern Ohio’s energy infrastructure while supporting advanced computing development.
The project therefore combines three major infrastructure components: large-scale power generation, regional transmission and grid upgrades, and high-density AI data center construction.
$80 Million Community Benefits Fund
The PORTS-Pike development will also provide funding for local community initiatives.
SB Energy previously established a $40 million community benefits fund. OpenAI will add another $40 million, bringing the total commitment to at least $80 million.
The funding will support local priorities that include affordable energy, job creation and workforce development, as well as community and economic development.
The partners also expect the project to create tens of thousands of jobs in Ohio, including construction employment and longer-term positions associated with the technology campus and surrounding infrastructure.
The redevelopment is intended to help reindustrialize an area that has been closely associated with the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
NVIDIA Invests $1.5 Billion in SB Energy
Alongside the infrastructure agreement, NVIDIA will invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy.
The investment makes NVIDIA an investor in SB Energy alongside existing investors SoftBank Group and OpenAI. NVIDIA said the investment will support SB Energy’s growth and its ability to develop AI infrastructure at speed and scale.
The investment also strengthens the relationship between NVIDIA and SB Energy as the companies pursue large-scale AI infrastructure development.
SB Energy has emerged as a major developer of power-first infrastructure for AI facilities. The company is leading the PORTS-Pike development and has also been involved in other large-scale energy and data center projects.
Former Nuclear Site Becomes AI Infrastructure Hub
The PORTS-Pike campus is being developed on and around the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a major Cold War-era uranium enrichment complex near Piketon, Ohio.
The redevelopment represents a shift from the site’s historic role in nuclear materials production toward advanced computing and energy infrastructure.
The federal government has positioned the Portsmouth site as an opportunity to accelerate industrial redevelopment while making use of existing infrastructure and federal land. The PORTS Technology Campus received FAST-41 coverage in June, making it the first project listed under the federal program’s high-performance computing, advanced computer hardware and software sector.
The federal permitting designation covers a project combining a large-scale AI data center with new power generation.
Earlier federal plans described the broader campus as a potential 10-GW AI data center development.
Construction to Scale From 2028
The PORTS-Pike campus is planned as a phased development, with the first capacity expected to come online in 2028.
The initial 4.25 IT-GW deployment secured by NVIDIA will establish the first major stage of the AI factory buildout. NVIDIA can subsequently exercise its option for another 3.75 IT-GW, bringing the total planned OpenAI capacity to 8 IT-GW.
The scale of the project will require simultaneous development of data center buildings, power generation, transmission and other supporting infrastructure.
With SB Energy responsible for building, owning and operating the facilities, OpenAI providing the long-term customer commitment and NVIDIA supplying the exclusive AI compute infrastructure, PORTS-Pike brings together the key components required for a large-scale AI factory.
For Southern Ohio, the project also represents a major industrial redevelopment opportunity, linking a former federal nuclear site with new power infrastructure, data center construction, technology investment and workforce development.
Additionally, the PORTS-Pike development is part of a broader shift toward building dedicated power infrastructure alongside large-scale AI data centers. A similar approach is emerging in Texas, where the 2.5 GW Victoria Power Project is advancing plans for gas-fired generation and nuclear power to support growing data center demand.
PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Ohio: Project Facts
- Project: PORTS-Pike Technology Campus
- Location: Pike County, Ohio
- Customer: OpenAI
- Data center developer/operator: SB Energy
- AI compute provider: NVIDIA
- Planned AI capacity: 8 IT-GW
- Initial capacity: 4.25 IT-GW
- Additional NVIDIA option: 3.75 IT-GW
- Power generation: At least 10 GW of new generation
- Regional grid investment: At least $4.2 billion
- Lease term: 20 years
- First capacity: Expected from 2028
- Community benefits fund: At least $80 million
- NVIDIA investment in SB Energy: $1.5 billion
- Infrastructure: Land, power and shell capacity
- Site: Former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and surrounding private land
- Partners: SB Energy, NVIDIA, OpenAI, SoftBank Group, AEP Ohio, U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Commerce
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