Nvidia plans $250bn push to bolster OpenAI’s infrastructure ambitions
Nvidia is in talks to provide significant financial guarantees for a massive new data center project in Ohio intended to support OpenAI's infrastructure needs. The project, led by SoftBank's SB Energy, aims to power large-scale AI operations, though it faces growing political backlash regarding data center expansion.
Why it matters
This deal highlights the extreme capital intensity of the AI boom and the increasing friction between tech infrastructure demands and local regulatory or environmental concerns.
Political backlash grows as US states propose bans on new data centres, raising challenges for Nvidia and the AI industry.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has partnered with OpenAI several times over the past year as the two companies' AI ambitions grow [File: Manami Yamada/Reuters] By Andy Hirschfeld Published On 27 Jul 2026 27 Jul 2026 Semiconductor giant Nvidia is reportedly undergoing talks with OpenAI to provide funding guarantees for a data centre in Ohio.
The $250bn deal, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, would help the ChatGPT owner lease a 10-gigawatt project that SB Energy, a subsidiary of SoftBank, is building in Piketon, Ohio, 68 miles (109km) south of Columbus, Ohio.
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