Nvidia Eyes $250 Billion Guarantee to Power OpenAI’s Massive Ohio Data Center

Nvidia is in advanced talks to provide a massive $250 billion financing guarantee that would help OpenAI secure a long-term lease on a planned 10-gigawatt data center campus in southern Ohio’s Pike County. The project, developed by SoftBank’s SB Energy on the site of a former federal uranium enrichment facility, represents one of the largest AI infrastructure builds ever proposed. OpenAI already relies on Nvidia as its primary supplier of high-performance GPUs and has received a prior $30 billion investment from the chipmaker. Because OpenAI lacks an investment-grade credit rating, the Nvidia backstop would make the enormous financing package far more attractive to lenders. The first 800-megawatt phase is targeted for completion in 2028.

The overall project could ultimately exceed $500 billion once the cost of Nvidia chips is included. Separate negotiations are underway that could see Nvidia help finance up to $350 billion in additional chip purchases for the campus. This dual structure allows Nvidia to support both the physical infrastructure and the demand for its own products. The arrangement reflects the intense competition for computing power as artificial intelligence development accelerates across the industry. American companies are racing to lock in capacity that will define the next generation of AI capabilities.

The Ohio campus benefits from power arrangements tied to recent U.S.-Japan energy agreements, with the federal government playing a coordinating role. Commerce officials are involved in allocating access to the substantial electricity the site will require. Building on a decommissioned industrial site offers a practical way to repurpose existing federal land while creating high-tech jobs in a region that needs them. The scale of the planned facility underscores how central American soil has become to the global AI race.

If finalized, the Nvidia guarantee would mark a significant expansion of the chipmaker’s role beyond simply selling hardware. It demonstrates confidence in OpenAI’s long-term trajectory and in the broader U.S. push to dominate AI infrastructure. Under the current administration’s focus on domestic energy and technology leadership, projects of this magnitude strengthen national competitiveness. The talks signal that the United States intends to keep the most advanced computing capacity on American soil for years to come.