Why it matters
The strategic read
Converts one of the largest power-first AI campus plans in the U.S. into a named 20-year OpenAI lease with NVIDIA credit support, an exclusive NVIDIA compute stack and a disclosed 2028 delivery start. The project now binds the compute customer, accelerator platform, developer, federal land, 10 GW generation plan and multibillion-dollar regional grid buildout into one execution chain.
Source-supported terms
What was disclosed
- 01
DOE said SoftBank Group and SB Energy plan to build 10 GW of new power generation, including at least 9.2 GW of natural gas generation, to power 10 GW of data-center development.
- 02
DOE is leasing federal land at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County, Ohio to an SB Energy-affiliated entity for construction of the data-center campus.
- 03
SB Energy and AEP Ohio are partnered on $4.2B of new electrical transmission infrastructure, including new 765 kV transmission lines and four substations.
- 04
DOE said portions of the agreement were previously announced as part of the U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement, including $33.3B in Japanese funding for 9.2 GW of new natural-gas generation.
- 05
DOE said development is expected to begin in 2026 with an initial phase on 189 acres at the Portsmouth Site.
- 06
NVIDIA said SB Energy will build, own and operate the data center under a 20-year lease to OpenAI for 8 IT-GW.
- 07
NVIDIA will provide credit support for land, power and shell buildout covering the initial 4.25 IT-GW and holds an option on the remaining 3.75 IT-GW.
- 08
The campus will exclusively host NVIDIA compute using the full-stack DSX AI factory platform.
- 09
NVIDIA announced a $1.5B investment in SB Energy alongside existing investors SoftBank Group and OpenAI.
- 10
The planned campus capacity is expected to come online in phases beginning in 2028, and OpenAI added $40M to the existing $40M community-benefits fund.
Disclosure boundary
What is known—and what is not
Primary NVIDIA release and DOE fact sheet disclose the OpenAI customer, 20-year lease, 8 IT-GW scope, initial 4.25 IT-GW NVIDIA credit support, 3.75 IT-GW option, exclusive NVIDIA DSX platform, $1.5B NVIDIA equity investment, 2028 phased-delivery start, 10 GW generation plan, federal-land reuse and $4.2B regional grid package. The full lease, guarantee and option documents, credit-support cap and remedies, annual rent, power pricing, AEP Ohio tariff and interconnection agreements, generation and gas-supply contracts, phase-by-phase delivery schedule, construction packages and termination rights are not public.