# SoftBank Ohio AI data centre financing negotiations > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/softbank-ai-financing-and-infrastructure-expansion > Updated: 2026-08-21T00:00:00.000Z. Sources: 409. Developments: 8. SoftBank Group’s 10-GW AI data-center campus in southern Ohio is progressing under a phased plan that targets an initial 800-MW segment by 2028. The site, developed by SB Energy on the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, has a total cost exceeding $500 billion. In July 2026, negotiations intensified regarding financing. Nvidia confirmed it is negotiating a financing guarantee of roughly $250 billion to back the lease and construction debt for the campus. Because OpenAI lacks an investment-grade credit rating, the guarantee is intended to reassure lenders. A separate hardware package for GPUs, potentially totaling up to $350 billion, remains under discussion. By August 2026, Nvidia expanded its strategy by entering into memorandums of understanding with six major financial institutions—Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR—to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital. Nvidia stated it could backstop up to $125 billion of this target, representing approximately 25% of the goal. Nvidia has since revised its financial commitment to address investor concerns, reducing its financial guarantee from the initial $250 billion to less than $120 billion to cover only the first phase. To protect against potential defaults or insolvency by OpenAI, Nvidia committed to providing residual value guarantees for the initial buildout, capped at $105 billion. Additionally, Nvidia has provided over $105 billion to secure physical requirements for OpenAI’s planned PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Ohio, including land acquisition, power procurement, and building shells. Nvidia also finalized a $1.5 billion equity investment in SB Energy to facilitate these developments. Recent developments indicate Nvidia is in talks to invest up to $3 billion in SB Energy, potentially split between the signing of the Ohio project deal and SB Energy’s anticipated initial public offering. ## Claims - Nvidia is negotiating to provide a $250 billion financing guarantee for OpenAI's Ohio data center. (disputed by 19 sources) - Nvidia revised its plans to guarantee less than $120 billion for the Ohio project, down from $250 billion. (disputed by 10 sources) - Nvidia is discussing providing approximately $100 billion in credit support for the Ohio data center campus. (disputed by 8 sources) - The initiative aims to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital for AI infrastructure. (corroborated by 32 sources) - Nvidia has signed memorandums of understanding with six major financial institutions to establish AI infrastructure financing platforms. (corroborated by 28 sources) - The six participating financial institutions are Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR. (corroborated by 26 sources) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is involved in power‑allocation decisions for the Ohio project. (corroborated by 24 sources) - OpenAI has signed a 20-year lease for the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Ohio. (corroborated by 24 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-21: Nvidia expands into AI infrastructure with massive data center and power investments Nvidia is pivoting toward AI infrastructure, investing billions in data center power via Cloverleaf, securing OpenAI’s Ohio campus, and striking major deals with Poolside and IBM. 25 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nvidia-explores-investment-in-mercor-at-20-billion-valuation ### 2026-08-17: Nvidia backs OpenAI's Ohio data center with $105 billion guarantee Nvidia is backing OpenAI’s 8GW Ohio data center project with up to $105 billion in guarantees and a $1.5 billion investment in SB Energy, while aiming to mobilize $500 billion in global AI infrastructure funds. 91 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nvidia-reduces-openai-ohio-data-center-guarantee-to-under-120bn ### 2026-08-15: Nvidia targets $500B AI infrastructure funding and $3B SB Energy investment Nvidia is partnering with major financial institutions to mobilize $500 billion for AI infrastructure and is negotiating a $3 billion investment in SoftBank’s SB Energy for an OpenAI data center in Ohio. 32 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nvidia-scales-back-ohio-data-center-backing-and-launches-ai-financing-initiative ### 2026-08-12: Nvidia partners with Wall Street firms for $500B AI financing plan Nvidia is partnering with six Wall Street firms to launch a $500 billion financing initiative for AI infrastructure, potentially guaranteeing up to 25% of deal values to facilitate chip-backed lending. 66 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-leads-500b-ai-financing-plan-and-tops-ceo-rankings ### 2026-08-10: Nvidia partners with six Wall Street firms for $500 billion AI financing Nvidia is partnering with six major Wall Street firms to launch financing platforms aiming to mobilize $500 billion for AI infrastructure, treating computing power as a new investable asset class. 229 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nvidia-expands-into-ai-infrastructure-financing-with-500b-push ### 2026-07-28: Nvidia negotiating $250 billion guarantee for OpenAI’s $500 billion Ohio AI data centre Nvidia is negotiating a $250 billion financing guarantee for OpenAI’s over $500 billion, 10 GW AI data centre in Ohio, with an 800 MW phase due 2028; separate chip financing of up to $350 billion is also being討 16 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nvidia-negotiating-250-billion-guarantee-for-openais-500-billion-ohio-ai-data-centre ### 2026-07-26: Nvidia to Back OpenAI with $250 B Financing for Ohio AI Data Center Nvidia may offer a $250 billion guarantee to fund OpenAI’s 10‑GW Ohio AI data‑center, a project costing >$500 billion, with first phase due 2028. 60 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nvidia-to-guarantee-250-billion-for-openais-5-trillion-ohio-ai-data-center ### 2026-07-01: SoftBank seeks $10 billion OpenAI‑backed loan and plans US AI compute rentals SoftBank is renegotiating a $10 billion loan backed by its OpenAI stake while preparing to lease AI compute capacity to US firms as part of a $100 billion AI infrastructure push. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/softbank-seeks-10-billion-openaibacked-loan-and-plans-us-ai-compute-rentals --- Cite as: SoftBank Ohio AI data centre financing negotiations. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/softbank-ai-financing-and-infrastructure-expansion