OpenAI, SoftBank putting $6M toward local childcare; Trump touts data centers at AI summit
OpenAI and SoftBank are developing a planned 10-gigawatt AI data center at the former Portsmouth uranium enrichment site near Piketon, Ohio. The companies announced a $6 million childcare initiative as part of a broader $80 million community investment program, while local residents raised questions about the project's impacts, funding, energy use, water use and noise.
OpenAI and SoftBank are planning a 10-gigawatt AI data center at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant near Piketon in Pike County, Ohio. The project is expected to create about 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent positions. Nvidia is investing $105 billion in the development, which would be among the world’s largest data centers.
During outreach meetings and a public open house, OpenAI chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane discussed the project with local officials, residents, educators, businesses and trade contractors. OpenAI and SoftBank subsidiary SB Energy also announced $6 million for childcare subsidies and facility grants, administered by the Ross-Pike Educational Service District, as part of an $80 million regional community investment commitment. The companies said the facility will use closed-loop water cooling and on-site natural gas generation, while residents and national critics continue to raise concerns about data centers’ energy consumption, water demands, noise and broader effects.