SoftBank Group is expanding its digital infrastructure footprint with a massive artificial intelligence datacenter project in Ohio.
SB Energy plans to lease federal land at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant to construct a 10 gigawatt server farm.
The initiative aims to meet surging global compute demand while repurposing Cold War-era industrial assets in Piketon.
The Japanese investment giant will establish 10 gigawatts of new generation capacity alongside the datacenter campus.
At least 9.2 gigawatts of this power will derive from gas-fired facilities feeding local grids and the new campus.
AEP Ohio and SB Energy struck a 4.2 billion dollar deal to upgrade transmission infrastructure across Southern Ohio.
According to the Department of Energy, SB Energy committed to funding accelerated cleanup of the Portsmouth site.
This location previously produced enriched uranium for civilian nuclear power and the US weapons program during the Cold War.
The arrangement ensures environmental remediation occurs alongside commercial development of the land.
SoftBank announced a Portsmouth Consortium comprising major Japanese and American financial institutions.
Participants include Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, and Toshiba alongside construction firm Bechtel and Goldman Sachs.
These partners intend to support the PORTS Technology Campus infrastructure requirements and financial backing.
This development mirrors similar strategies by other technology leaders utilizing nuclear sites for power reliability.
Meta selected the location for a nuclear power campus targeting up to 1.2 gigawatts of baseload power.
Oklo also chose the site for a joint venture with Centrus Energy uranium processing facility.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated the Administration uses federal assets to add power generation.
He noted the investment supports the AI boom while strengthening the energy system significantly.
Wright emphasized the goal to keep costs down for American people during the energy transition.
SoftBank Group chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said artificial intelligence will transform every industry globally.
He described the PORTS Technology Campus as necessary infrastructure to unlock breakthroughs in machine learning.
Son highlighted the need for next-generation energy solutions to sustain rapid technological growth.
American Electric Power expects power to reach the site by 2029.
This timeline aligns with President Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge regarding utility bills.
The project claims to shield consumers from price increases driven by surging AI infrastructure demand nationwide.
The scale of this project highlights the intensifying competition for reliable energy sources among industry players.
Major tech firms increasingly seek dedicated power generation to avoid grid instability issues.
Local communities may see lower utility bills according to parties involved in the deal.
Watch for regulatory hurdles as the US waters down safety rules for next-gen nuclear reactors.
The success of this model could influence future deployments of datacenters near legacy nuclear sites.
Execution risks remain high given the complexity of grid upgrades and environmental compliance.
