OpenAI has officially joined the massive PORTS-Pike Technology Campus project in Pike County, putting one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence companies at the center of a development expected to reshape the economic future of Southern Ohio.
The company announced Monday that it has entered into an agreement to secure approximately 8 gigawatts of IT capacity at the PORTS-Pike site, working with SB Energy, NVIDIA and the U.S. Department of Energy. OpenAI says the project is expected to create about 35,000 construction jobs during a six-year buildout through 2032, along with 2,500 long-term operating jobs.
For a region that has spent decades trying to replace jobs lost after the decline of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, those numbers are difficult to ignore.
OpenAI says it wants the development to become a broader economic catalyst for Southern Ohio, creating opportunities for local workers, contractors, suppliers and businesses while giving younger residents more reasons to build careers and remain in the region.
Another $40 Million for the Community
OpenAI also announced a $40 million community grant fund that will be directed toward priorities identified by local residents.
That investment comes in addition to a previously announced $40 million commitment from SB Energy.
According to OpenAI, the community money could support schools, public safety, health care, utilities, workforce training, housing, veterans’ services, small businesses and programs assisting working families. The company says the project is also expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue over its lifetime.
Property tax revenue would primarily benefit public schools, while other taxes generated by the development could support roads, emergency services, health care and workforce development.
OpenAI Says Ratepayers Won’t Pay for Power Upgrades
One of the largest concerns surrounding massive data center projects is electricity.
OpenAI says those costs will not be shifted onto ordinary Ohio customers.
SB Energy will pay the full cost of grid upgrades and new transmission lines required to serve the data center, according to the announcement. OpenAI says those improvements are also expected to strengthen the regional electrical grid over time.
The first 800 megawatts of capacity are expected to become available in 2028, largely using existing AEP infrastructure.
Additional development will require new transmission lines and new power generation, including natural-gas generation, according to OpenAI.
That means the project will not appear overnight.
The full campus will be developed in stages as infrastructure, permitting, environmental reviews and financing fall into place.
Water Use Addressed
Water has also become one of the biggest public concerns surrounding large data centers.
OpenAI says the PORTS-Pike facility will use closed-loop, air-cooled systems designed to recirculate water instead of continuously consuming large amounts of water through traditional cooling towers.
Once the cooling system is initially filled, the company says ongoing water consumption should be comparable to an office building supporting a similar number of workers, including water used for restrooms, sinks, maintenance and landscaping.
OpenAI says the project will use significantly less water than the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant historically consumed.
The company also promised to publicly disclose expected water usage once the final site design is completed and says it will help fund new water infrastructure benefiting surrounding communities.
That future disclosure will be important.
Data centers have generated intense debate around the country over water and electricity demands, and Southern Ohio residents will ultimately be able to compare the company’s promises with the actual numbers once the project moves closer to operation.
Jobs, Apprenticeships and Local Workers
OpenAI and SB Energy say local workers will receive priority for construction and operating opportunities.
PORTS-Pike has signed a memorandum of understanding with North America’s Building Trades Unions, while project leaders also plan to work with the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council, local schools, colleges, apprenticeship programs, veterans organizations and workforce groups.
The goal is not only to fill construction positions but to create a larger pool of trained workers capable of supporting additional industrial and technology development in the region.
Ohio College Students Get AI Credits
The announcement also reaches beyond Pike County.
OpenAI says it will provide as much as $84 million in Codex credits to approximately 844,000 eligible Ohio college, community college and technical-school students during the 2026-27 academic year.
Eligible students age 18 and older will receive $100 in credits through their ChatGPT accounts.
Codex is OpenAI’s software-building and technical-project tool within ChatGPT. The company says students could use the credits to gain experience applying artificial intelligence to engineering, manufacturing, health care, education, entrepreneurship and skilled trades.
Combined with the OpenAI and SB Energy community funds, the company says more than $160 million in direct benefits have now been announced for Pike County and Ohio residents.
A 20-Year OpenAI Commitment
SB Energy will build, own and operate the data center under a 20-year lease to OpenAI.
The site will exclusively host NVIDIA artificial-intelligence computing infrastructure, with NVIDIA also investing $1.5 billion in SB Energy and providing financial support tied to the initial development.
OpenAI says it will begin paying for the facility only as completed computing capacity becomes available.
The company plans to use the site to support growing demand for ChatGPT, Codex and future AI systems.
From Uranium Enrichment to Artificial Intelligence
The PORTS site once played a major role in American nuclear and national-security infrastructure.
Now, OpenAI is positioning the same Southern Ohio property as part of what it calls the next era of American industrialization.
The project is being developed across private property and remediated federal land controlled by the Department of Energy at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
OpenAI says it will publish annual reports detailing local hiring, community investments, water consumption and project-related energy use.
The company also plans to continue meeting with residents, government officials, schools, businesses and labor organizations to develop what it calls an Ohio Community Compact, turning its public commitments into measurable goals.
For Southern Ohio, the size of the announcement is difficult to overstate.
Thirty-five thousand construction jobs, 2,500 permanent positions, new power infrastructure, tens of millions of dollars for community projects and one of the largest artificial-intelligence companies in the world committing to a 20-year presence in Pike County could represent a fundamental economic shift for the region.
But announcements and completed projects are two different things.
The buildout will take years.
Infrastructure still must be constructed. Permits and environmental reviews remain necessary. Financing must remain available. Power generation must expand. Water systems must be completed.
OpenAI has now put significant numbers and public promises on the table.
Southern Ohio will have several years to measure those promises against what actually gets built.
