OpenAI is evaluating a landmark agreement to lease a planned 10-gigawatt artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus in southern Ohio, a development that would rank among the largest AI infrastructure projects ever proposed globally. The project could involve financial backing from Nvidia and see development by SB Energy.
OpenAI’s 20-year lease is expected to begin in 2028, coinciding with phase 1 operations start at the facility. It would also significantly expand OpenAI’s rapidly growing compute footprint as demand for advanced AI models continues to surge.
The Ohio development would represent another major step in OpenAI’s strategy of securing dedicated artificial intelligence infrastructure outside traditional cloud arrangements. The company has spent the past two years aggressively pursuing large-scale data center capacity through its Stargate initiative and a growing network of partnerships involving SoftBank, Oracle, Nvidia and Crusoe. This also comes after the company cancelled its Stargate UK data center project due to high energy costs.
If finalized, the proposed OpenAI Ohio data center campus would dwarf most existing hyperscale developments. It will also highlight the unprecedented scale of investment now flowing into AI infrastructure across North America.
Project Overview
The proposed OpenAI data center campus is planned on federal land in Ohio and could ultimately provide approximately 10 gigawatts of power capacity. OpenAI is also favoring a long-term lease arrangement rather than direct ownership. This allows the company to secure massive computing resources without assuming the full burden of development and infrastructure financing. Nvidia is expected to play a supporting role through financing and technology partnerships.
At 10GW, the campus would rival the electricity demand of several large metropolitan areas. It would also exceed the power requirements of nearly all currently operational data center campuses worldwide. The massive scale of the proposed OpenAI Ohio data center campus is a reflection of a growing industry belief that future frontier AI models will require exponentially larger computing clusters than those deployed today.
While detailed design specifications have not yet been disclosed, OpenAI’s Ohio data center is expected to be built in multiple phases over several years, with individual data halls housing hundreds of thousands of advanced AI accelerators.
OpenAI’s Bet in the Global AI Data Center Boom
OpenAI Ohio data center project comes amid an escalating competition among tech companies to secure power, land and semiconductor supply for artificial intelligence development.
OpenAI has also repeatedly emphasized that access to computing infrastructure is becoming one of the primary constraints on AI progress. As demand for ChatGPT, enterprise AI services and next-generation foundation models increase, the company has sought to diversify beyond its historic dependence on Microsoft-operated infrastructure.
The proposed Ohio data center campus also aligns with the broader Stargate project. Stargate is a multibillion-dollar AI initiative led by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle and other partners. It aims to create a network of hyperscale AI campuses capable of supporting future generations of artificial intelligence systems. One of the partners, SoftBank is also planning a $500bn data center hub in Ohio, the Piketon AI Data Center Complex.
For Ohio, the development would further strengthen the state’s emergence as a strategic destination for large-scale digital infrastructure. This is supported by available land, energy resources and proximity to major U.S. population centers. Availability of energy resources is however becoming a contentious issue, even in Ohio.
Project Cost and Financing
Looking other OpenAI data center projects as benchmark, its Abilene, Texas campus – developed by Crusoe and Blue Owl – is backed by $15bn financing. The Abilene AI campus is expected to deliver around 1.2GW of capacity.
Applying similar capital intensity across a 10GW platform suggests that total investment requirements for the Ohio project could ultimately exceed $60-100 billion. Reports on the OpenAI Ohio data center development place the cost at $500 billion. This will however depend on the pace of deployment, power infrastructure requirements and the cost of next-generation Nvidia semiconductors.
Additionally, the project’s financing structure is expected to combine long-term lease agreements, institutional capital, infrastructure debt and investment from technology partners. Nvidia’s involvement also reflects a broader trend of chip manufacturers increasingly participating in data center infrastructure financing to secure long-term demand for advanced AI processors.
Who is Backing the OpenAI Ohio Data Center Project
OpenAI
Lead tenant and compute customer. The company will be responsible for deploying AI workloads and securing long-term capacity agreements.
Nvidia
Potential financing and technology partner. Nvidia will provide advanced AI semiconductor chips and infrastructure support.
Federal Government Agencies
The campus is planned on Department of Energy land in southern Ohio.
Other Infrastructure Developers and Investors
Although not officially named in connection with the Ohio site, firms such as Crusoe, Blue Owl Capital, SoftBank, Oracle and other major lenders have become central participants in OpenAI’s data center expansion strategy.
Construction Challenges Facing OpenAI Ohio Data Center Project
Delivering a 10GW AI campus presents engineering challenges that extend far beyond traditional data center construction.
The main challenge will be power procurement and grid integration. Industry forecasts suggest AI-driven data center demand could double power and water consumption by 2030, placing unprecedented pressure on transmission networks and utility systems.
Additional challenges include:
- Securing long-term electricity supply agreements.
- Expanding transmission infrastructure.
- Procuring sufficient quantities of advanced Nvidia GPUs.
- Managing water consumption and cooling requirements.
- Navigating environmental permitting processes.
- Coordinating multi-phase construction across a campus potentially spanning thousands of acres.
Expected Economic Impact
The development would likely generate substantial economic benefits during both construction and operations.
During construction, thousands of workers could be employed across civil engineering, electrical infrastructure, mechanical systems and specialized data center installation trades. Once operational, the campus would also create long-term positions in facility operations, network engineering, cybersecurity and equipment maintenance.
The project could also stimulate additional investment in renewable energy generation, transmission infrastructure, semiconductor supply chains and advanced manufacturing throughout the Midwest.
Development Outlook on OpenAI Ohio Data Center Campus
The planned OpenAI Ohio data center project illustrates how AI is reshaping global infrastructure investment patterns. What began as a race to develop more capable artificial intelligence models has evolved into a competition for power generation, land, semiconductors and capital.
Should OpenAI proceed with the lease, the project would become one of the most ambitious AI infrastructure developments ever attempted. It will also reinforce Ohio’s growing role in the U.S. digital economy. This is while further accelerating the buildout of the computing infrastructure required for next-generation AI systems.
Ohio AI Data Center Campus Project Fact Sheet
Location: Department of Energy land in southern Ohio
Proposed Capacity: 10GW
Developer: SB Energy, a unit of SoftBank
Development Model: Long-term lease arrangement
Lead Tenant: OpenAI
Lease Period: 20 years
First Lease Expected: 2028
Technology Partner: NVIDIA
Land Ownership: Federal
Project Status: Under negotiation and evaluation
Estimated Investment: $500bn
Primary Purpose: AI model training and development
Market Significance: Potentially among the world’s largest AI data center developments
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