OpenAI is weighing a long-term lease for a massive data center complex in southern Ohio, a move that could deepen its infrastructure push as demand for AI computing keeps climbing. 

OpenAI is looking at renting capacity at a proposed 10-gigawatt campus on U.S. government land, according to a report by The Information and Reuters. The site would be built by SB Energy, which is part of SoftBank, on Department of Energy land in Ohio.

The Information's report put the potential construction bill at $500 billion or more, using current assumptions for chips, labor, electricity and other inputs. Under the framework, OpenAI would oversee the gear installed at the location under a 20-year agreement, with lease payments beginning once the facility is up and running.

The first stage of operations is targeted for 2028. Nvidia is expected to provide the computing hardware and also offer a financial backstop connected to OpenAI's lease obligations and SB Energy's funding plan, the report said.

OpenAI previously paused a separate data center plan in the U.K, pointing to regulatory issues and elevated power costs. 

OpenAI also recently submitted a confidential draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the SEC, although the company has not formally submitted a timeline for its IPO.

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