Nvidia has secured land, power and shell capacity through a $1.5 billion partnership with SB Energy for an AI compute facility at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio. The two organizations plan to create tens of thousands of jobs, according to an Aug. 17 press release.

The facility is expected to come online in phases, beginning in 2028. The partner organizations say it will bring industrial work back to the decommissioned Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant and the surrounding area.

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, will use the capacity at the site. SB Energy will build, own and operate the data center, working under a 20-year lease. On the computing side, the AI factory will use Nvidia’s full-stack DSX AI factory platform, including GPUs, CPUs and networking.

Nvidia capacity could expand to 8-IT GW

The initial deployment is designed to support 4.25 IT-GW of AI factory capacity. Nvidia has the option to extend the opportunity beyond that initial capacity by 3.75 IT-GW, to a total of 8-IT GW. The chip giant says DSX AI factory architecture will integrate facilities, hardware and software to provide resiliency across the full stack, reducing infrastructure overhead and accelerating time to tokens for future AI factories.

SB Energy’s PORTS-Pike Technology Campus is being developed across private and federal land in collaboration with AEP Ohio, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

SB Energy and OpenAI contribute $80 million community benefits fund

OpenAI has agreed to add another $40 million to SB Energy’s previously announced $40 million community benefits fund. The additional funding is intended to support affordable energy, job creation and workforce development, as well as community and economic development.

Additionally, SB Energy and SoftBank will invest at least $4.2 billion in new regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio, which they say is designed to protect utility customers.

Executives outline AI infrastructure and community plans

"We are securing long-lived infrastructure for Nvidia compute so OpenAI can deploy the most productive AI factories that can be upgraded repeatedly with each new generation delivering more intelligence and better economics,” Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, said in the press release.

“Infrastructure is vital for the AI economy," said Rich Hossfeld, co-CEO of SB Energy, in the press release. "With SoftBank Group, OpenAI and NVIDIA, SB Energy is building power-first infrastructure at unprecedented scale while strengthening the communities that make it possible – protecting ratepayers, creating tens of thousands of well-paying jobs and investing in infrastructure to revitalize Southern Ohio that has long shaped America’s future."

Manufacturers investing in Ohio

Anduril Industries opens Fury autonomous aircraft manufacturing facility in Ohio

The Fury production line at Arsenal-1 is capable of producing up to 150 aircraft annually in its current configuration.

Velocity Group opens electronic and electro-mechanical products manufacturing plant in Ohio

The new plant will triple the company’s production capacity and consolidate its three previous facilities under one roof.

Ukranian Defense Drones to build new Ohio drone factory

The project was expected to create 300 new jobs.

Resilience to move HQ to Ohio from West Coast

The CDMO operates a large drug product manufacturing facility close to its new location.

Whirlpool to build new $60 million Ohio plant

The Perrysburg plant will be Whirlpool’s sixth in the Buckeye state.