Technology
OpenAI, SoftBank, and Nvidia plan $500 billion AI data center in Piketon, Ohio
The proposed 8GW facility brings promises of thousands of jobs alongside local concerns over air pollution, water use, and radioactive waste.
The short version
- SoftBank subsidiary SB Energy, OpenAI, and Nvidia are developing a $500 billion, 8GW AI data center in Piketon, Ohio, slated to open in 2028.
- The development promises 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent operational jobs in economically depressed Pike County.
- Environmental advocates and local residents have raised concerns regarding emissions from a proposed gas-fired power plant, heavy water usage, and potential disturbances to a decommissioned uranium enrichment site.
- The project relies on a trade agreement involving Japanese investment in exchange for U.S. tariff reductions, leaving its long-term stability tied to future federal policy.
Key facts
- SB Energy, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Japanese investors are partnering on a $500 billion, 8-gigawatt artificial intelligence data center in Piketon, Ohio, scheduled to open in 2028.[The Guardian]
- OpenAI signed a 20-year lease with SB Energy to utilize the site's computing capacity, which will run on Nvidia infrastructure.[The Guardian]
- The project is expected to generate 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent operating jobs in Pike County, where the poverty rate exceeds 19%.[The Guardian]
- A portion of the facility will sit on a decommissioned uranium enrichment site that operated for nearly six decades until 2001.[The Guardian]
- Power for the facility will be supplied by a planned nearby natural gas plant financed through a $33 billion Japanese investment.[The Guardian]
- OpenAI announced a $40 million community grant fund for local priorities and plans to offer Ohio college students a $100 ChatGPT credit.[The Guardian]
- SB Energy committed to paying for site cleanup and stated that local ratepayers will not bear the grid connection costs for the facility.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- The long-term funding stability of the project remains contingent on the continuation of the U.S.-Japan trade agreement across future presidential administrations.[The Guardian]
- Environmental groups have cited unverified long-term risks regarding potential groundwater contamination from buried radioactive waste during site construction and water use.[The Guardian]