Nvidia Explores Major Financing Guarantee for OpenAI Data Centre Project
Nvidia is in discussions to provide financing guarantees worth about $250 billion for OpenAI as part of a vast data centre development, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The proposed arrangement would support OpenAI’s plans to lease a 10-gigawatt data centre project in southern Ohio. SoftBank’s energy subsidiary is developing the site, and the financing guarantee would help secure the project’s long-term funding.
If completed, the agreement would mark an important milestone for OpenAI. The company would begin building greater control over its own computing infrastructure instead of relying on capacity rented from Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle. At the same time, Nvidia would strengthen long-term demand for its artificial intelligence chips by supporting one of the industry’s largest planned infrastructure projects.
Financing Structure Takes Shape
The Wall Street Journal reported that the overall project could cost more than $500 billion, including the Nvidia chips that will power the facility.
The proposed $250 billion guarantee would cover the data centre lease and related debt financing. However, it would not include the cost of Nvidia’s chips installed at the site. In addition, Nvidia is reportedly discussing separate financing for OpenAI’s chip purchases, which could reach as much as $350 billion.
Furthermore, Nvidia’s support would help establish financing vehicles designed to reassure lenders and strengthen confidence in the project’s funding structure.
Construction Timeline and Government Role
The first phase of the Ohio project is expected to be completed in 2028. It would initially provide approximately 800 megawatts of power before further expansion.
According to the report, the project’s power supply is controlled by the U.S. government and funded separately by Japan under a recent trade agreement. That arrangement is linked to Tokyo’s commitment to invest $33 billion in a natural gas plant.
Meanwhile, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is reportedly involved in determining access to the project’s power allocation.
Reuters could not immediately verify the Wall Street Journal report. Nvidia, OpenAI and the U.S. Commerce Department did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.
Growing Demand for AI Infrastructure
OpenAI has reportedly been in advanced discussions for several weeks regarding the lease and is considered one of the strongest candidates for the project.
Meanwhile, Anthropic, Microsoft and Google have also held discussions with Howard Lutnick in recent weeks, according to the report.
The proposed agreement reflects a wider trend across the technology sector. Companies are increasingly turning to debt and equity markets to finance large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure as investment continues to accelerate. Industry spending on AI infrastructure is expected to exceed $700 billion this year, highlighting the growing demand for computing capacity.
With inputs from Reuters