OpenAI joins Ohio campus deal for 8GW of AI capacity

OpenAI said it has reached an agreement for approximately 8 gigawatts-IT at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, in a project that brings together SB Energy, NVIDIA, and the U.S. Department of Energy and is expected to be built out through 2032.

The company said the site is intended to support long-term demand for AI computing capacity, with the first 800 megawatts expected to become available in 2028 largely using existing AEP infrastructure. SB Energy will build, own, and operate the data center under a 20-year lease to OpenAI, while the site will exclusively host NVIDIA AI compute infrastructure.

In announcing the project, OpenAI said, "We want to develop this project as a partner to Pike County - paying its project-specific energy and infrastructure costs, using water responsibly, creating opportunities for local workers and businesses, and making long-term investments shaped by the community."

Jobs, community spending, and student access

According to the company, the project is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs during its six-year buildout through 2032 and 2,500 long-term operating jobs. OpenAI said it will invest $40 million in a community grant fund, adding to SB Energy’s previously announced $40 million commitment.

The company also said it is providing $84 million in Codex credits through ChatGPT for eligible Ohio college, community college, and technical school students aged 18 and older during the 2026–2027 academic year. OpenAI said approximately 844,000 students would be eligible, with each receiving $100 in credits through their ChatGPT accounts.

OpenAI said, "Pike County helped power America’s industrial growth in the 20th century and now, with this project, it has another opportunity to play a leading role in the next era of American industrialization."

It added: "We want it to be a catalyst for jobs, business growth, and investment across Southern Ohio - and to help make this a place where young people can build careers, raise families, and choose to stay."

Power, water, and infrastructure plans

OpenAI said the project would cover its own electricity and infrastructure needs. "The project will pay its own energy and infrastructure costs." The company said SB Energy will pay the full cost of the grid upgrades and new transmission lines needed to serve the data center and that those costs will not be shifted to Ohio or other ratepayers in the region.

OpenAI also said, "The data center will recirculate water to reduce ongoing demand." It said the facility will use closed-loop, air-cooled cooling systems that recirculate water rather than relying on cooling towers that continuously consume water for cooling. According to the company, ongoing water use after the cooling system is filled is expected to be comparable to an office building supporting a similar number of people, and the project will work with the Department of Energy to use the existing onsite water system while also funding new water infrastructure in partnership with local communities. OpenAI said it will publicly report the project’s expected water use once the site design is finalized.

Labor commitments and public reporting

OpenAI said, "The investment will create tangible benefits for Pike County and Southern Ohio." It said local and state property tax revenues are expected to primarily support public schools, while other tax revenues would help fund roads, public safety, emergency services, health care, workforce development, and other public priorities.

The company also said, "We will invest in good jobs and workforce pathways for local residents." It said PORTS-Pike Campus signed a Memorandum of Understanding with North America’s Building Trades Unions and that OpenAI plans to work with the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, affiliated crafts, schools, colleges, apprenticeship programs, veterans’ organizations, labor partners, and workforce groups to prepare residents for construction, technical, and operating roles.

On education access, OpenAI said, "Ohio students will receive access to tools for the next generation of work."

The company added, "We will report publicly on our progress." It said annual reports will cover local hiring, community investment, water use, and project-related energy use.

Buildout schedule and financing

OpenAI said the full data center will not be built all at once. It said SB Energy is developing the project across private land and remediated land controlled by the Department of Energy at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

OpenAI said, "We appreciate the Trump Administration’s leadership in helping advance the redevelopment of this federal site for American AI infrastructure." It added, "This gives a site that once supported American industry and national security a new role building infrastructure for the Intelligence Era."

Further development beyond the initial 800 megawatts will require new power plants connected to the grid, including natural gas generation, as well as new transmission lines and related infrastructure, according to the company. It also said development will depend on infrastructure, permits, environmental reviews, and financing being in place.

Under the arrangement, OpenAI said it will begin paying only as completed capacity becomes available for lease and will fund those commitments through revenue and cash flow from business growth and capital raised from investors. NVIDIA, it said, will invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy and provide credit support for the land, power, and shell buildout associated with the initial 4.25 IT-GW.

Computing capacity and design work

OpenAI said it is contracting for the capacity based on projected long-term needs for frontier training and growing demand for its products. The company said NVIDIA and OpenAI are collaborating through design, testing, and commissioning at the data center and will jointly publish a technical white paper on lessons from PORTS-Pike, including infrastructure design, data center component qualification, and software-level workload management.

OpenAI said, "We expect to use this capacity to meet growing demand for advanced AI and maintain our lead as the frontier AI research laboratory in pursuit of our mission."

It also said, "Data centers like the PORTS-Pike Technology Data Center are part of the physical foundation behind AI." The company added, "Together with chips, power, and high-speed networks, they allow us to develop more capable systems and make tools like ChatGPT and Codex more reliable, affordable, and available to more people and businesses."

In its closing remarks, OpenAI said, "Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity." It added, "The better we build it, the more people can use AI to learn, create, solve problems, start businesses, and do work that was previously out of reach."

The company also said, "Our responsibility is to make sure the communities helping build it share meaningfully in those benefits." It concluded, "We look forward to working with Pike County and the broader Southern Ohio region as it begins the next chapter of its long contribution to American progress."

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