OpenAI joins PORTS-Pike project in Ohio, securing roughly 8 GW of AI data center capacity

OpenAI announced on August 17 that it has entered into an agreement to secure approximately 8 gigawatts-IT at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, working with SB Energy, NVIDIA, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to OpenAI's announcement, the project is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs during its six-year buildout through 2032, along with 2,500 long-term operating jobs, and to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue over its lifetime.

On community investment, OpenAI will put $40 million into a community grant fund, building on SB Energy's previously announced $40 million commitment, supporting local priorities such as schools, public safety, health care, housing, veterans' services, and small businesses.

OpenAI is also providing up to $84 million in Codex credits through ChatGPT: during the 2026-2027 academic year, roughly 844,000 eligible Ohio college, community college, and technical school students aged 18 and older will receive $100 in credits each to gain hands-on experience using AI for complex tasks and projects.

The project will pay its own energy and infrastructure costs — SB Energy will cover the full cost of grid upgrades and new transmission lines, with no costs shifted to Ohio ratepayers — and the data center will use closed-loop, air-cooled cooling systems that recirculate water, consuming significantly less water than the Portsmouth gaseous diffusion plant historically used.

The PORTS-Pike Campus has signed a memorandum of understanding with North America's Building Trades Unions, and OpenAI plans to work with the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, local schools, colleges, and apprenticeship programs to build career pathways for local residents.

Together, OpenAI's local investment and Codex credits, plus SB Energy's community grant, represent more than $160 million in benefits for Pike County and Ohio residents. OpenAI will publish an annual report covering local hiring, community investment, water use, and project-related energy use.

The arrangement brings an AI compute giant, a clean-energy developer, a chip maker, and a federal agency together on one campus, and at roughly 8 GW-IT it ranks among the most significant AI infrastructure commitments in the U.S. Midwest — a region that once powered American industrialization and now has a chance to anchor the AI era.

What to watch next: the phased buildout toward 2032, how the project integrates with the Department of Energy's existing on-site water system, and whether the 844,000-student Codex program translates into real AI skills adoption across Ohio.