Nvidia reportedly in talks to invest up to $3 billion in SB Energy tied to planned OpenAI data centers in Ohio

Nvidia is reportedly in talks to invest as much as $3 billion in SB Energy, according to a report carried by Yahoo Finance citing The Information. The discussions are described as part of an effort connected to planned data center activity for OpenAI, including a large-scale project in Ohio.

SB Energy is identified in the report as a subsidiary of SoftBank Group and as the developer of a massive planned Ohio data center project for OpenAI. If negotiations result in investment, it would represent a step beyond Nvidia’s usual role as a supplier of the specialized hardware used to train and run AI models, and into the financing and development of the facilities required to deploy that hardware.

The Information report, as relayed by Yahoo Finance, does not provide details on deal structure, timing, valuation, or whether Nvidia’s involvement would be equity investment, project financing, or another form of capital commitment. It also does not specify the stage of the Ohio project or the operating timeline that the investment would support.

For Nvidia, the reported discussions fit a broader pattern in the AI industry: scaling up compute depends not just on chips and networking, but also on power availability, land, cooling capacity, and grid interconnection. Large AI data centers can require substantial power upgrades, and developers often seek capital partners to help move projects from planning into construction.

Nvidia’s main business is selling processors and related systems used in AI computing, especially for training and inference workloads. While the reported talks do not spell out how Nvidia would directly use SB Energy’s planned infrastructure, the linkage suggests Nvidia is aligning with the buildout required to host the graphics processing units and accelerated computing systems that support frontier AI services.

The report also highlights how SoftBank’s data center development arm and major AI infrastructure customers are converging. If the Ohio project advances, investors and technology suppliers alike will want to understand whether such partnerships are becoming more common as power-constrained regions compete to host AI workloads.

Several key items remain undisclosed in the publicly reported account. The Information report does not clarify the total expected size of Nvidia’s investment beyond the “up to $3 billion” range, nor does it indicate whether other technology or capital partners are involved, how profits would be shared, or what contingencies would apply if power or permitting timelines slip.

What to watch next is whether Nvidia or SB Energy issues a statement about the nature of the talks, and whether any filings or project announcements emerge that confirm investment terms. With AI buildouts often delayed by grid and construction constraints, the next updates on the Ohio timeline and power readiness could be as consequential as the reported investment size.