Nvidia Eyes $3 Billion SB Energy Investment for OpenAI Data Center

 

Nvidia 

Nvidia Eyes $3 Billion Investment in SB Energy

BENGALURU — August 15, 2026

Nvidia is in talks to invest as much as $3 billion in SB Energy, a SoftBank-backed company developing a major data center project in Ohio for OpenAI, according to a report cited by people familiar with the discussions. The potential investment would link Nvidia more closely to the infrastructure being built to support the growing demand for artificial intelligence.

The proposed investment is part of broader discussions involving Nvidia, OpenAI and SB Energy over financial support for the planned Ohio data center campus. The discussions could involve around $100 billion in credit support for the project, according to the report.

Under the proposal, Nvidia could invest about half of the $3 billion when the Ohio project agreement is signed. The remaining amount could be invested as part of SB Energy's planned initial public offering, or IPO, which is a process through which a private company sells shares to the public for the first time.

The reported investment has not been confirmed by Nvidia or SB Energy. Reuters was unable to independently verify the report, and both companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.

SB Energy is also preparing for a possible stock market listing as soon as September and could seek to raise at least $5 billion through the IPO, according to the report. The company is backed by SoftBank and OpenAI and focuses on large-scale energy and data center infrastructure.

Founded in 2019, SB Energy has been developing multiple data center campuses as demand for computing power rises with the expansion of AI applications. Large data centers require substantial amounts of electricity and other infrastructure, making power supply an increasingly important part of the AI industry.

The potential Nvidia investment would deepen the chipmaker's involvement in the infrastructure needed to expand AI computing capacity. Nvidia is a major supplier of the processors used to train and operate many advanced AI systems, while OpenAI is one of the industry's largest users of computing infrastructure.

The Ohio project is part of wider plans by OpenAI to expand its data center capacity. Nvidia has previously discussed providing significant financial support connected to the project, but those plans have since been revised.

A separate report said Nvidia had reduced the scale of a proposed guarantee linked to OpenAI's data center plans. The company is now expected to initially guarantee less than $120 billion, down from the $250 billion that had previously been discussed.

The talks highlight the increasingly close relationship between AI companies, chip manufacturers, energy developers and financial institutions as the industry seeks to build enough infrastructure to meet rapidly growing computing needs.

For SB Energy, a major investment from Nvidia could provide additional funding for its data center expansion while supporting its planned public listing. For Nvidia, participation in the infrastructure behind AI computing could strengthen its position beyond the sale of chips and into the broader ecosystem supporting artificial intelligence.