MoneyAugust 17, 2026via Financial Times Technology
Nvidia pledges $100bn backing for OpenAI data centre in Ohio
Why it matters
A landmark strategic investment signals Nvidia's bet-the-company play to lock OpenAI into its silicon ecosystem while securing energy supply for the AI buildout. This is both a deal (money pillar) and a statement about the scale of compute capital required to stay frontier.
Key signals
- Nvidia pledges $100B backing for OpenAI data centre in Ohio
- Nvidia invests $1.5B into SB Energy (SoftBank-founded energy company)
- Deal bundles compute hardware, infrastructure, and energy supply
- Signals Nvidia's strategy to vertically integrate the AI buildout
- Published Aug 17, 2026 — timing suggests major announcement window
The hook
$100B. Nvidia just backed OpenAI's Ohio data centre—the largest compute infrastructure commitment yet.
Chipmaker also invests $1.5bn into SB Energy, an energy company founded as part of SoftBank Group