On 17 August 2026 Nvidia announced a $1.5B investment in SB Energy — a data center developer whose backers include SoftBank and OpenAI. Nvidia will also extend up to $105B in credit to build the Ports-Pike data center near Cincinnati, Ohio, becoming the facility's sole supplier of compute infrastructure.
Key takeaways
- Nvidia equity investment in SB Energy: $1.5B.
- Up to $105B in credit to build the Ports-Pike facility.
- Capacity: from an initial 4.25 GW to 8 GW.
- Nvidia as sole supplier of the facility's compute infrastructure.
- 9.2 GW natural gas power plant on site, cost about $33B.
Sole compute supplier for OpenAI
Ports-Pike is an OpenAI data center under construction near Cincinnati, Ohio, on land owned by the U.S. Department of Energy — a former uranium enrichment site. The investment ensures Nvidia will be the facility's sole supplier of compute infrastructure. It is a closed loop: the GPU maker finances a data center that then buys only its hardware. The article does not tie the site directly to the Stargate program.
Equity and credit
The financing mixes an equity stake with a credit line. Nvidia takes $1.5B in SB Energy and extends up to $105B in credit for construction as capacity scales from 4.25 GW to 8 GW. SB Energy's existing investors include SoftBank and OpenAI. Notably, SoftBank sold its $5.8B stake in Nvidia stock in November 2025.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Equity stake in SB Energy | $1.5B |
| Construction credit line | up to $105B |
| On-site gas power plant | ~$33B |
| Target capacity | 4.25 → 8 GW |
Energy as the bottleneck
A 9.2 GW natural gas power plant is planned next to the facility, at a cost of about $33B. The article notes natural gas plant construction costs have risen 66 percent in two years, and new capacity could push gas prices up — as much as triple in some U.S. regions. Energy availability is becoming a real constraint on the pace of AI infrastructure, no less than chip supply.
Why it matters
The investment shows how Nvidia is vertically closing the AI value chain — from designing GPUs to financing the data centers that buy them. That locks in demand for its hardware for years and binds its largest customers, like OpenAI, even more tightly to its ecosystem. The scale of the figures — $105B in credit and a $33B power plant — also shows that the AI infrastructure bottleneck is becoming energy and land, not the chips themselves.
What's next?
- Ports-Pike is set to scale capacity from 4.25 GW to a target 8 GW per the announcement.
- The 9.2 GW gas plant on site will test the local impact on energy prices.
- Nvidia's role as investor and sole compute supplier will set a template for future mega-facilities.
