Tuesday, 18 August 2026 · Full edition

Nvidia signs $105 billion guarantee backing SB Energy and OpenAI Ohio campus

A large industrial electrical substation transformer.
A large industrial electrical substation transformer. · Bob Harvey / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 2.0

What happened

According to an SEC filing, Nvidia signed residual value guaranties capped at $105 billion to back credit and lease power for OpenAI. The financial commitment supports a planned 4.25-gigawatt AI data center campus developed alongside SB Energy in Ohio, providing essential credit backing for the multi-gigawatt infrastructure project designed to supply power and facilities.

Why it matters

This structure demonstrates how major technology companies are directly underwriting the massive capital requirements of large-scale artificial intelligence infrastructure. By guaranteeing up to $105 billion in credit and power leases for OpenAI, Nvidia reduces financial risk for project developers like SB Energy while securing necessary power supplies and physical real estate.

Bigger picture

The agreement highlights broader capital allocation strategies designed to navigate acute energy and infrastructure bottlenecks in artificial intelligence deployment. As AI models require ever-larger power capacity, balance-sheet support from major chipmakers is becoming a primary mechanism to finance the massive energy and facility buildouts demanded by advanced computing platforms.

Watch next

Watch for upcoming disclosures regarding construction phases, regulatory approvals, and operational milestones detailing when the 4.25-gigawatt Ohio facility will begin power delivery and server deployment for OpenAI.

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