OpenAI is joining the PORTS-Pike project in Pike County, Ohio, with a plan that reaches far beyond a new data center. The agreement covers approximately 8 gigawatts-IT at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus, bringing construction work, long-term jobs, student benefits, community funding, and major infrastructure commitments.
The scale is striking: the six-year buildout is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs through 2032, followed by 2,500 long-term operating jobs. OpenAI and SB Energy will also work to prioritize local workers, contractors, suppliers, trades, and service providers, giving Pike County and nearby communities a direct role in the project’s growth.
A Six-Year Buildout With Thousands of Jobs
The PORTS-Pike project is set to reshape the local employment picture during construction. Across the buildout through 2032, the project is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs, creating opportunities for workers and businesses connected to building, electrical, infrastructure, and related services.
Once the data center begins operating, 2,500 long-term operating jobs are expected to remain. OpenAI and SB Energy will prioritize local participation across the workforce and supply chain, including contractors, suppliers, trades, and service providers.
Workforce planning also includes the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council. The PORTS-Pike Campus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with North America’s Building Trades Unions, connecting the project with organized building trades as plans move forward.
That combination of construction employment, operating positions, and workforce planning gives the project a long timeline for local involvement. The benefits are not limited to the campus itself; the agreement identifies more than $160 million in benefits for Pike County and Ohio residents.
Community Funding and a Big Student Offer
OpenAI will invest an additional $40 million in a community grant fund. The fund will support priorities identified by local residents, putting community input at the center of how that money is used.
Students across Ohio will also receive access to new support during the 2026–2027 academic year. OpenAI will make up to $84 million in credits for Codex available to approximately 844,000 eligible Ohio college, community college, and technical school students.
Each eligible student will receive $100 in credits through a ChatGPT account. The offer connects the PORTS-Pike project to students at colleges, community colleges, and technical schools across the state, creating access to Codex credits during a defined academic year.
The community grant fund and student credits form two separate parts of the project’s benefits. One directs investment toward priorities chosen by local residents, while the other provides eligible students with credits through their ChatGPT accounts.
Energy, Water, and Public Revenue
The project will pay its own energy and infrastructure costs. SB Energy will pay the full cost of the grid upgrades and new transmission lines needed to serve the data center, keeping those required improvements within the project’s infrastructure plan.
The data center will use closed-loop, air-cooled cooling systems that recirculate water. Once operational, its water use is expected to be comparable to an office building supporting a similar number of people.
That cooling design and the infrastructure commitments define how the campus will operate within the surrounding community. The project also carries a long-term public finance impact, with the PORTS-Pike Technology Data Center expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue over its lifetime.
Local and state property tax revenues will primarily support public schools. Other state and local tax revenues will help fund schools, roads, public safety, emergency services, health care, workforce development, and other public priorities.
The U.S. Department of Energy is listed as a partner in the project, alongside OpenAI and SB Energy. Together with the workforce agreement and local investment commitments, that partnership places PORTS-Pike at the center of a broad plan involving technology, construction, education, infrastructure, and public services.
OpenAI’s agreement brings the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus into a new phase, with 8 gigawatts-IT planned for Pike County and benefits that extend into classrooms, job sites, public schools, and local programs. The construction timeline runs through 2032, but the project’s effects are designed to continue through long-term operating jobs, community grants, student credits, and tax revenue.
