SoftBank's $500B Ohio bet
SoftBank revealed plans for a staggering $500 billion AI data‑center campus in Ohio — including up to 10 GW of capacity and a $33 billion natural‑gas power plant — with groundbreaking already underway at the former DOE Portsmouth site. The build is pitched as a compute hub for training and deploying foundation models that will power robotics, AV fleets, and industrial automation across North America. (english.kyodonews.net)
The Department of Energy’s fact sheet says SB Energy has committed to pay for accelerated environmental cleanup and remediation at the federal site slated for redevelopment under the agreement. (energy.gov) SB Energy agreed to fund $4.2 billion in new 765-kilovolt transmission infrastructure with AEP Ohio, and AEP says that commitment will help avoid increases to customer transmission rates. (prnewswire.com) AEP Ohio told regulators it expects power to begin flowing to the redevelopment site in 2029, and initial transmission route planning and permitting through the Ohio Power Siting Board are already underway. (prnewswire.com) Reporting by Bloomberg says the buildout’s first phase is targeted at roughly 800 megawatts, with an estimated price tag near $30–$40 billion and a planned early‑2028 completion for that phase, while SB Energy executives said turbine deliveries will start within about a year and be sited across the region. (bloomberg.com) DOE documents also record a $40 million Community Benefits Agreement pledged by SB Energy to support surrounding counties and their residents. (energy.gov) Senior officials from the administration and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son attended the March 20 groundbreaking announcement, which DOE links back to prior commitments made under the U.S.–Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement. (apnews.com)
