OpenAI has entered an agreement to secure about 8 gigawatts of IT capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Pike County, Ohio, working with SB Energy, NVIDIA, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
The company says the six-year buildout through 2032 is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 long-term operating jobs. It also plans a $40 million community grant fund shaped by local priorities, separate from SB Energy's previously announced $40 million commitment, and says it will provide $84 million in Codex credits through ChatGPT for Ohio college students.
The project shows how AI infrastructure is becoming a regional economic and energy issue, not just a cloud procurement decision. OpenAI says it will pay project-specific energy and infrastructure costs and use water responsibly, but those claims will matter most as the campus moves from announcement to construction and local impact becomes measurable.