OpenAI secures 8GW Ohio data center with $1.5B Nvidia backing
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-08-17
OpenAI has partnered with Nvidia to secure an 8GW data center campus in Ohio. Nvidia will invest $1.5B in SB Energy and provide credit support for the initial 4.25GW of land, power, and shell construction.
Deal Structure:
- Ownership & Payment: SB Energy builds and owns the campus; OpenAI pays only when capacity is ready, leaving SB to carry construction costs.
- Exclusivity: The site will exclusively host Nvidia AI infrastructure, with Nvidia also financing OpenAI's chip purchases.
- Risk Sharing: Nvidia's support applies to completed-site value, potentially paying up to $105B if re-leasing fails, lowering SB Energy's borrowing costs.
Timeline & Challenges:
- The first 800MW is expected in 2028. Later phases require new generation, transmission, permits, and environmental reviews.
- The project requires 9.2GW of new gas generation and $4.2B in grid upgrades.
More from Venture
- Bittensor subnet revenue up 40% in a month, now $50M ARR — markjeffrey · 2026-10-03
- PowerShell creator Jeffrey Snover: AI inference costs collapsed, would short frontier models — dfinke · 2026-10-03
- Solo dev's AI video tool hits $3,056 in 5 days with zero ad spend — gefei55 · 2026-10-03
- Agent-Native Sandbox Startup Grows 50.9% Monthly With Team Under 30 — pzakin · 2026-10-03
- New site indexed and getting clicks in 48 hours: the SEO playbook shared — iannuttall · 2026-10-03
- JERA, Dell, RHAELM Plan $15B, 400MW AI Factory Next to a Power Plant in Chiba, Japan — IanAndrewsDC · 2026-10-03