Nvidia has agreed to “guarantee up to $105 billion” in lease payments to help OpenAI secure a sprawling data center in Ohio being developed by SoftBank-backed SB Energy, in one of the chipmaker’s largest infrastructure financing commitments.
The chip giant will also invest $1.5 billion in SB Energy and will secure up to 8 gigawatts of AI computing capacity at the site, where the data center developer will build, own and operate an OpenAI campus under a 20-year lease, the two companies said Monday.
The deal is the latest example of Nvidia financing infrastructure built on its chips, a strategy that is helping drive demand but has also raised questions about circular financing flows between the chip giant and its customers.
Nvidia has secured land and power for the facility, located in Pike County, Ohio, to create an AI data center with an initial capacity of 4.25 gigawatts, expected to be operational in phases starting in 2028. One gigawatt of electricity is enough to power approximately 750,000 American homes.
The chip giant will exclusively provide on-site AI computing infrastructure and provide credit support for land, power and structural building associated with upstream capacity. It also has an option to secure the remaining 3.75 GW.
Leading technology companies are increasingly linking chip development, power and data centers together as they race to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence, while legacy networks, lengthy approval processes and scarcity of land and power capacity hinder new projects.
