OpenAI is in talks to lease a massive federally-sited data center in Ohio, with Nvidia reportedly set to guarantee the lease and financing.
OpenAI is negotiating to lease a planned 10-gigawatt data center in southern Ohio that could be financially backed by Nvidia, according to two people with direct knowledge of the talks cited by The Information. [1]
The site is located on federal land in Pike County, Ohio — the former home of a uranium enrichment facility — and is being developed by SB Energy, a company majority-owned by SoftBank, which is also an investor in OpenAI. [1]
Under the proposed terms, OpenAI would sign a 20-year lease, which would represent its largest infrastructure commitment to date. [1] Total costs at full buildout are expected to reach at least $500 billion. [1]
Nvidia’s role would go beyond supplying chips: the company would act as guarantor for both the lease and the project’s financing, backing payments with its own balance sheet. [1] That level of financial guarantee would be unprecedented for the chipmaker at this scale. [1]
The first phase of the project, at 800 megawatts of capacity, is expected to be operational by 2028. [1] Negotiations are described as ongoing, and plans could still change. [1]
The project draws comparisons to the Stargate initiative — announced at the White House in January 2025 and involving Oracle and SoftBank — which ultimately made little progress. [1]
Separately, OpenAI on Monday confidentially filed paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO). [1]
Sources
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