OpenAI Details Ohio Data-Centre Plan With SB Energy and Nvidia
A company announcement outlines a major AI infrastructure project in Pike County, Ohio, with proposed construction jobs and local investment.
In an official LinkedIn announcement, OpenAI said it had reached an agreement to use capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Data Center in Ohio, working with SB Energy, Nvidia and the US Department of Energy. The company framed the project as industrial redevelopment as well as computing infrastructure.
OpenAI's announcement estimates 35,000 construction jobs over a six-year buildout through 2032 and 2,500 longer-term operating jobs. It also describes an initial combined $80 million in community commitments from OpenAI and SB Energy. These are projections and announced commitments, not independently verified realized employment totals.
For US communities, large AI centres raise practical questions: who pays for new electricity infrastructure, what the tax benefits will be, and how construction activity translates into lasting local jobs. Such projects are important to the economics of AI, but power, financing and permitting timelines are essential to any realistic assessment.
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