PORTS-Pike: OpenAI's 8 GW Pike County Data Center

Who builds, funds and leases the Pike County data center

NVIDIA secures the land, power, and shell; SB Energy builds, owns, and operates the data center; and OpenAI is the customer. NVIDIA and OpenAI each announced the Pike County, Ohio, data center on August 17, 2026. The lease to OpenAI runs 20 years, and NVIDIA is the exclusive AI compute provider, so the campus hosts only NVIDIA AI compute.

Land, power, and shell (LPS) covers the site, its electricity supply, and the building around the computers. NVIDIA's release says it secured that capacity through a partnership with SB Energy.

The PORTS-Pike Technology Campus sits on private and federal land around the decommissioned Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, so the Portsmouth data center site and the Pike County campus are the same place. AEP Ohio, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Commerce are development partners. SB Energy is the developer. Each claim below names NVIDIA or OpenAI as its source.

Initial 4.25 IT-GW, with an option on 3.75 more

The first deployment is designed for 4.25 IT-GW, and NVIDIA holds an option on the remaining 3.75 IT-GW, for 8 IT-GW in total. NVIDIA's release counts the capacity of the AI factory, its term for the data center, in IT-GW, while OpenAI says it secured about 8 gigawatts-IT. Both units measure the power that goes to the computing equipment itself.

NVIDIA's release also says it can expand beyond the initial capacity at PORTS-Pike. SB Energy and SoftBank will build at least 10 gigawatts of new energy generation, which NVIDIA says results in 8 IT-GW of AI factory capacity.

The AI factory will use NVIDIA's full-stack DSX AI factory platform, which the release describes as GPUs, CPUs, and networking together. The initial deployment is designed to support 4.25 IT-GW on that platform.

What NVIDIA's credit covers and what is only reported

NVIDIA's release says it provides credit support on the land, power, and shell buildout for the first 4.25 IT-GW, and it names no dollar figure. The figure of up to $105 billion seen in coverage comes from UPI, which reported financing of that amount, with the credit funding the first 4.25 gigawatts. Neither the NVIDIA release nor the OpenAI post contains that number, so it remains a reported figure.

NVIDIA will also invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy, joining existing investors SoftBank Group and OpenAI. That is a stake in the developer, and the credit support is a separate commitment on the buildout. OpenAI describes its own side this way: it will begin paying only as completed capacity becomes available for lease, and it will fund those commitments from revenue, cash flow, and capital raised from investors.

First 800 MW due in 2028, pending permits and financing

The first 800 megawatts are expected to become available in 2028, largely on existing AEP infrastructure. Everything after that needs new power plants connected to the grid, including natural gas generation, and new transmission lines. OpenAI states that development depends on the necessary infrastructure, permits, environmental reviews, and financing being in place.

NVIDIA says the planned capacity will come online in phases beginning in 2028. OpenAI adds that the full data center will not be built all at once. SB Energy is developing it across private land and cleaned-up land that the Department of Energy controls at the former Portsmouth plant.

The 2028 date therefore covers only the first phase. Later phases need the new power plants and transmission lines described above.

Who pays for the grid upgrades and new transmission lines

OpenAI says SB Energy pays the full cost of the grid upgrades and new transmission lines needed to serve the data center. It adds that those costs will not be shifted to Ohio or other ratepayers in the region. Ratepayers are the customers whose electric bills fund the utility.

NVIDIA describes a second commitment. SB Energy and SoftBank will invest at least $4.2 billion in new regional grid infrastructure through a partnership with AEP Ohio. NVIDIA says the partnership is designed to protect ratepayers, and its release lists the investment together with the 10 gigawatts of new generation described earlier.

Both statements are the companies' own promises. Neither the NVIDIA release nor the OpenAI post says who checks them.

Closed-loop cooling and water use at the site

OpenAI says the data center will use closed-loop, air-cooled systems that recirculate water, instead of cooling towers that continuously consume it. Once the cooling system is filled, ongoing water use is expected to be comparable to an office building supporting a similar number of people.

OpenAI says the data center will use significantly less water than the former Portsmouth gaseous diffusion plant used. PORTS-Pike is working with the Department of Energy to use its existing onsite water system, and OpenAI will fund new water infrastructure with and for local communities.

The post gives no water volume, only the office-building comparison. OpenAI says it will publicly report the expected water use once the site design is final.

Jobs and tax revenue OpenAI projects for Ohio

OpenAI expects 35,000 construction jobs during a six-year buildout through 2032, and 2,500 long-term operating jobs. OpenAI and SB Energy say they will work to prioritize local workers, contractors, suppliers, trades, and service providers.

The PORTS-Pike campus signed a memorandum of understanding with North America's Building Trades Unions. OpenAI plans to work with the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council and its affiliated crafts, schools, and apprenticeship programs.

On taxes, OpenAI expects hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue over the project's lifetime. Property tax revenue will mainly support public schools, and other state and local revenue will help fund schools, roads, public safety, emergency services, health care, and workforce development.

Community money, Codex credits and public reporting

The community fund starts at $80 million, with SB Energy and OpenAI each putting in $40 million. OpenAI says residents' priorities will shape its share, naming schools, public safety, health care, utilities, workforce training, housing, veterans' services, small businesses, and support for working families. NVIDIA calls the $80 million an initial community benefits fund.

Separately, OpenAI will make up to $84 million in Codex credits available during the 2026-2027 academic year. The credits go to approximately 844,000 eligible Ohio college, community college, and technical school students aged 18 and older, each receiving $100 through a ChatGPT account. Codex is OpenAI's tool for writing software.

OpenAI counts more than $160 million in total benefits for Pike County and Ohio residents, combining its local investment and Codex credits with SB Energy's community grant. That total is OpenAI's own tally.

OpenAI's post also commits to an annual public report on local hiring, community investment, water use, and project-related energy use. Meetings with residents and officials are to shape an Ohio Community Compact.

Three companies split the land, the build and the lease

NVIDIA secures the land, power, and shell, SB Energy builds and runs the site, and OpenAI leases about 8 gigawatts-IT for 20 years. NVIDIA names no amount for its credit support, so the figure of up to $105 billion remains UPI's reporting.

The first 800 MW is expected in 2028, and OpenAI ties later development to infrastructure, permits, environmental reviews, and financing. For Ohio, the stated terms are no pass-through of grid costs, closed-loop cooling, and $80 million in community funding. OpenAI's chip is covered in a separate article, OpenAI Jalapeno Chip: Inference Benchmarks 2026.