In March 2026, SoftBank Group and its subsidiary SB Energy, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, broke ground on the PORTS Technology Campus in Piketon, Ohio, a massive project slated to channel up to $500 billion into a single AI data center hub. Located at a 3,700-acre decommissioned Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility, the campus is designed to reach an unprecedented 10-gigawatt capacity at full buildout, making it potentially the largest AI computing complex in the world. The historic public-private initiative is being fast-tracked as a cornerstone of national AI infrastructure and is expected to bring a significant economic revitalization to the southern Ohio region, creating thousands of construction and operational jobs.
To bypass growing national concerns, which have even made the government to allocate $17 billion to fund ten nuclear reactors build-out to meet the rising electricity demand, the project includes its own independent power supply: a $33 billion, 9.2-gigawatt natural gas-fired power plant built directly across the region alongside $4.2 billion in transmission upgrades. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2026, with the first phase delivering an 800-megawatt data center by early 2028 at an initial cost of $30 billion to $40 billion. Adding momentum to the massive undertaking, recent industry updates indicate that OpenAI has entered advanced talks with SB Energy to lease the 10-gigawatt facility as its primary infrastructure anchor.
March 21, 2026
SoftBank Group Corp. Is moving ahead with plans to construct a massive AI-focused data center complex in Ohio, the Piketon AI Data Center Complex with Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son stating that the project could channel up to $500 billion into a single campus. The project will join others such as the Vantage Data Center in Arizona in cementing US position as a leading global computing hub.
Also, the proposed data center facility would be located at a former uranium enrichment site that was owned by the US Department of Energy. Additionally, it is designed to support advanced AI computing operations, News.Az reports, citing Bloomberg.
Additionally, the complex is expected to draw up to 10 gigawatts of power. This is enough power to supply millions of homes.
The first phase of the project is projected to deliver around 800 megawatts of capacity. Furthermore, it is estimated cost between $30 billion to $40 billion. Its targeted completion date is set for early 2028.
Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Infrastructure to Support the Facility’s Power Needs
To support the Piketon AI Data Center Complex energy demands, SoftBank has unveiled plans to rely on approximately $33 billion in natural gas-fired electricity infrastructure. This is expected to be fully installed by the end of the decade.
Also, the gas power initiative has been referred to by the Trump administration as part of a broader $550 billion US-Japan trade agreement. Furthermore, the company has already secured turbines for the project. The initial deliveries are expected within a year’s time. Full deployment is scheduled by the decade’s end. Furthermore, the turbines will generate up to 9.2 gigawatts of power and will be distributed across the region rather than concentrated at a single site.
Significance of the Piketon AI Data Center Complex
Officials highlighted the scale of the Piketon AI Data Center Complex, with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick describing it as potentially the largest construction project in the country during an announcement alongside Son and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
SoftBank is seeking to build the AI computing complex, capable of drawing 10 gigawatts of power, at a former uranium enrichment complex owned by the US Energy Department. For context, a single gigawatt of capacity can power roughly 750,000 homes at any given moment.
Phase I
Additionally, the company expects the first phase of the data center project to include about 800 megawatts of power, cost $30 billion to $40 billion and be completed in early 2028.
Lastly, SB Energy said it plans an additional 800 megawatts of capacity for the data center, but provided no further details.
Project Factsheet
Site: Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS).
Location: Piketon, Pike County, Southern Ohio (approx. 70 miles south of Columbus).
Land Area: 3,700 acres of federally owned land leased from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Total Data Center Campus Investment Goal: Up to $500 billion.
Phase 1 Cost: $30 billion – $40 billion.
Energy Infrastructure Cost: $33.3 billion
Grid Upgrades: $4.2 billion
Job Creation: Thousands of construction roles. Morovere, these include 2,000+ permanent operational and technical positions.
Total Compute Capacity: 10 Gigawatts (GW) at full build-out.
Dedicated Generation: 9.2 GW of new natural gas-fired power plants.
Construction Start: Expected mid-2026.
Phase 1 Completion: Early 2028 (expected to deliver 800 Megawatts of capacity).
Full Deployment: Target end of the decade (2030).
Project Team
SoftBank Group: The lead financial backer and developer of the Ohio site. CEO Masayoshi Son serves as Chairman of the venture.
OpenAI: The primary “operational” partner and anchor tenant. The infrastructure is being custom-built to train and run OpenAI’s next-generation models (e.g., GPT-5 and future AGI research).
Oracle Corporation: A strategic development partner providing cloud infrastructure (OCI) and operating several Stargate sites. Oracle is also a major equity investor in the venture.
MGX: An AI-focused investment firm backed by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund (Mubadala). Also, this serves as one of the four initial equity funders.
SB Energy: SoftBank’s renewable and infrastructure subsidiary is leading the construction of the 9.2 GW natural gas plant. Also, it is managing the $4.2 billion grid investment.
AEP Ohio (American Electric Power): The primary utility partner responsible for building the 765 kV high-voltage transmission lines and substations.
Foxconn: The electronics manufacturing giant (which previously owned a factory in Lordstown, Ohio) is reportedly collaborating with SoftBank to build and run specialized AI data center equipment for the project.
NVIDIA: The primary supplier of GPUs (including the Blackwell and Rubin architectures) that will fill the server racks. Furthermore, NVIDIA is an investor in the broader Stargate initiative.
Arm: The SoftBank-owned semiconductor design firm. Also, its energy-efficient processor designs are being integrated into the data center’s architecture to optimize power consumption.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): This is the landowner of the Piketon site. Also, they will provide the long-term lease of the federal land.
Mizuho Financial Group & JPMorgan Chase: Reported lead lenders providing debt financing for the massive construction and hardware costs.
Shimizu North America: A subsidiary of Japan-based Shimizu Corp, which was contracted for internal construction and fit-out work on the Ohio sites.
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