Nvidia to invest $1.5B in SB Energy as part of massive Ohio AI campus deal

Nvidia is writing a $1.5 billion check for SB Energy Corp., the SoftBank-backed power and data-center developer, in a private placement tied to one of the most ambitious AI infrastructure projects ever announced. The deal centers on the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, a facility designed to eventually deliver 8 gigawatts of AI compute capacity, all running on Nvidia’s own hardware.

What the deal actually involves

The $1.5 billion equity investment puts Nvidia alongside SoftBank and OpenAI as anchor backers of SB Energy, which was founded in 2019 and has grown into a major developer of large-scale power and data-center projects. OpenAI will serve as the campus’s primary tenant under a 20-year lease, and the lease specifies that AI compute infrastructure must come exclusively from Nvidia.

Beyond the equity check, Nvidia has committed to providing up to $105 billion in residual value guarantees, a credit support mechanism designed to facilitate lease financing for the campus. The initial IT load capacity at launch is set at 4.25 GW, with an option to expand by a further 3.75 GW to reach the full 8 GW target.

The broader power ambitions are even larger. The project aims to generate at least 10 GW of new electricity capacity and will invest $4.2 billion in regional grid infrastructure in partnership with AEP Ohio, the local utility. Construction is projected to create tens of thousands of jobs in the region, and an $80 million community benefits fund will be established to support Pike County.

Why this is a different kind of Nvidia move

The announcement came on August 17, 2026. SB Energy’s upcoming IPO makes the timing of Nvidia’s involvement particularly notable. The company is expected to enter public markets as early as late September 2026, with a projected valuation of approximately $50 billion. A $1.5 billion equity investment from the world’s most valuable semiconductor company, announced weeks before an IPO roadshow, is about as strong a validation signal as a pre-IPO company can receive.

The stakes for AI infrastructure investors

The Ohio campus also fits within a larger pattern of AI compute investment being steered toward regions with access to land, water, and power at scale. Pike County is home to the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site, a decommissioned federal facility with existing grid connections and significant acreage.

SB Energy’s IPO will be one of the first major tests of public market appetite for the power-infrastructure-meets-AI-compute investment thesis at scale. With a $50 billion projected valuation and a roster of investors that now includes Nvidia, SoftBank, and OpenAI, the offering will likely attract significant institutional attention.