Nvidia has agreed to provide up to US$ 105 billion in financial support to a new data center complex in Ohio that will be leased by OpenAI, reported Bloomberg this Monday (17), based on a financial document.
OpenAI closed a deal to secure about 8 gigawatts (GW) of computing capacity at the Pike County complex. The first portion, 800 megawatts (MW), is expected to become operational in 2028.
Payments from the company behind ChatGPT will begin as capacity becomes available for lease. Nvidia will support defined portions of the rental and energy costs of the infrastructure, which will use its artificial intelligence chips.
Nvidia will also invest US$ 1.5 billion in SB Energy
The semiconductor maker also agreed to invest US$ 1.5 billion in SB Energy, a SoftBank-backed company that will be responsible for building, owning and operating the complex.
If it reaches the planned 8 GW, the facility will be among the world's largest data center projects. The venture is also part of the artificial intelligence infrastructure investments associated with SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.
Nvidia had already discussed a guarantee of up to US$ 250 billion for OpenAI's lease contract, but the new commitment of up to US$ 105 billion represents the largest agreement of its kind signed by the chipmaker.
The company has already provided financial support to other companies expanding AI infrastructure, including CoreWeave, in addition to investing directly in OpenAI and Anthropic.
The model of these operations has raised questions about off-balance-sheet financial commitments and agreements in which Nvidia finances companies that subsequently buy its chips.
Nvidia said the Ohio deal does not constitute circular financing. “OpenAI will pay the rent,” the company said.
