This isn’t just a big check it’s a power move. Nvidia is now the exclusive provider of compute infrastructure for OpenAI’s Ports-Pike data center, a project tied to SoftBank’s SB Energy. The facility is planned to start at 4.25 gigawatts and could double to 8 gigawatts, making it one of the largest AI data centers in the world. To make it happen, Nvidia is also offering up to $105 billion in credit—a staggering number that reflects just how much capital these AI megaprojects now require.
The data center will sit on land owned by the U.S. Department of Energy, a site that once enriched uranium for nuclear weapons and submarines. SB Energy isn’t just building a data center, though. It’s also constructing a 9.2-gigawatt natural gas power plant right next to it, a project expected to cost $33 billion. That price tag isn’t just high—it’s 66% more expensive than similar projects were just two years ago, thanks to soaring construction costs. And here’s the kicker: once it’s up and running, this power plant will be competing for natural gas with export markets, which could triple gas prices in some regions.
SoftBank, which already invested in SB Energy alongside OpenAI, sold off its entire $5.8 billion stake in Nvidia last November to fund other AI ventures. Now, with Nvidia’s $1.5 billion injection, the pieces are falling into place for a data center that could redefine what’s possible in AI training and deployment. But the domino effect doesn’t stop there. The surge in demand for power to feed these AI factories is reshaping energy markets, and the cost of keeping them running might soon be felt far beyond the tech world.
What happens when the energy needs of AI start clashing with the energy needs of everyone else
And is a $105 billion credit line the new normal for building the infrastructure behind AI
Filed under: AI, DataCenters, Nvidia, OpenAI, SoftBank