PIKETON, Ohio (WCMH) — OpenAI signed onto the world’s largest data center project in southeastern Ohio this week, promising $120 million in investments in Pike County and Ohio.
On Monday, OpenAI announced it will collaborate with S.B. Energy, chipmaker NVIDIA and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a multi-billion-dollar massive data center on federal land in Pike County. OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Office Chris Lehane said he knows Ohioans can be wary of data centers, and he said he wants to address their concerns. See previous coverage in the video player above.
“This is their community; they know what’s best for their community, and they want us as an actor involved in the ‘data center’ to listen to them because that’s that’s just a respectful thing to do,” Lehane said. “Part of listening is to then hear what the concerns are and try to provide as many details as possible.”
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The center will have 8-gigawatt capacity and be built on the site of a former U.S. nuclear enrichment plant. The project will create 35,000 construction jobs through 2032, and 2,500 long-term jobs. It will also bring $120 million in community investments to benefit Pike County and every public university student in the state…