Nvidia in negotiations to provide $250 billion financing guarantee for OpenAI's $500 billion data center project in Ohio
Partnership ● Confirmed 72% confidence first seen
Nvidia is reportedly in talks to backstop a $250 billion loan for OpenAI's planned data center campus in Ohio, which would be developed by SoftBank's energy subsidiary and provide 10 gigawatts of computing capacity. The total project cost could exceed $500 billion when GPU chips are included. The arrangement would secure massive computational infrastructure for OpenAI while strengthening Nvidia's position as a critical hardware supplier.
Decision brief
- What changed
- Nvidia is reportedly negotiating to provide a $250 billion financing guarantee to backstop a loan for a $500 billion, 10-gigawatt OpenAI data center campus in Ohio, to be developed by SoftBank's SB Energy unit.
- Why it matters
- This deal would deepen Nvidia's financial entanglement with its largest customer, converting a supplier relationship into a de facto credit exposure tied to OpenAI's future revenue and SoftBank's execution. For leadership at OpenAI, Nvidia, and SoftBank, it signals a shift toward vendor-financed infrastructure buildouts that could reshape capital allocation, balance-sheet risk, and competitive dynamics in AI compute for years, especially with next-gen chip cycles (2027-2028) tied to the facility.
- Evidence
- Three outlets (TLDR twice, SiliconANGLE) report consistent core details—$250B Nvidia guarantee, $500B total project cost, 10GW Ohio campus via SoftBank's SB Energy—suggesting a shared underlying report rather than fully independent verification; one TLDR piece adds that Commerce Secretary Lutnick's approval is required.
- What remains uncertain
- The deal is still in negotiation and unconfirmed by the companies themselves; terms like guarantee structure, timeline, regulatory approval odds, and how this affects Nvidia's or OpenAI's balance sheets remain unclear, and coverage may stem from a single original source repeated across outlets.
- Monitor next
- Watch for official confirmation or regulatory filings from Nvidia, OpenAI, or SoftBank, and any statement from Commerce Secretary Lutnick on project approval.
Analytical support, not advice — assumptions and open questions stated above.
Source coverage
Nvidia in Talks With OpenAI to Guarantee $250 Billion Financing for Data Center
The Wall Street Journal
newsletter
Nvidia could reportedly backstop $250B loan for new OpenAI data center campus
SiliconANGLE
independent
OpenAI Close to Landing $500 Billion Data Center With Nvidia's Backing
The New York Times
newsletter