Executive Summary

OpenAI is reportedly in advanced discussions to develop a $500 billion, 10 GW AI data center in Ohio, with Nvidia and SB Energy as key partners. If executed, this would be one of the largest single AI infrastructure project in history and a fundamental shift in how hyperscalers approach power supply for AI compute.

The Players

OpenAI, now one of the most valuable private AI companies globally, is leading the development. Nvidia brings chip supply and technical architecture expertise. SB Energy, the energy arm of SoftBank Group, is positioned as the power development and infrastructure partner.

The Numbers

$500 billion in total project value makes this one of the largest AI infrastructure investment ever proposed. The 10 GW power requirement is staggering: it’s approximately 2x the entire current data center load of Northern Virginia, the world’s largest data center market. For comparison, Microsoft’s recent 20-year, 3.2 GW power purchase agreement with Constellation for the Crane Clean Energy Center was con sidered a landmark deal. This is more than 3x that capacity.

To put 10 GW in context: that’s enough power for roughly 7-8 million homes, or the equivalent of 10 large nuclear reactors. The capital required for power generation alone — assuming a mix of gas, nuclear SMRs, and renewables — would likely exceed $15-20 billion.

What This Means

This is the future of hyperscale AI infrastructure: fully integrated, campus-scale developments where power generation, transmission, and compute are designed as a single system. You cannot deliver 10 GW from the existing grid without building dedicated generation and transmission infrastructure.

For power developers: Ohio is now the most important market in the country for dispatchable generation tied to AI load. If OpenAI moves forward, expect every other hyperscaler — Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon — to pursue similar integrated campus models. The competitive pressure to secure large, reliable power sources will intensify dramatically.

For gas turbine OEMs and nuclear developers: this is your market. A 10 GW campus will require a mix of baseload (likely SMRs or large combined-cycle gas plants) and peaking capacity. Companies like GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, and nuclear developers like TerraPower, X-energy, and NuScale should be positioning for this opportunity.

For investors: SB Energy’s involvement signals this is a fully financed, integrated development, not a speculative land play. Watch for follow-on announcements around power purchase agreements, generation partnerships, and transmission upgrades in southern Ohio.

The risk: $500 billion is an enormous number, and projects of this scale are often announced in phases. The real question is whether OpenAI can secure the capital, permitting, and power supply agreements to hit full build-out, or if this becomes a 2-3 GW Phase 1 with future expansion optionality.

Either way, the signal is clear: hyperscalers are done waiting for the grid. They’re building their own.

Source: Yahoo Finance, June 11, 2026