SoftBank's $500B AI data center in Ohio to power ChatGPT
SoftBank, the Japanese tech giant, just announced plans to build a massive AI data center campus at an old uranium site in Ohio.
This project is being called the biggest construction effort in the US and has been described as a $500 billion undertaking.
CEO Masayoshi Son shared the news in March 2026.
Data center, gas plant linked to U.S.-Japan trade deal
This isn't just about tech hype, the data center will be built in phases, starting with an 800-megawatt chunk (think: huge power), aiming for a total of 10 gigawatts.
To keep all those servers running, they're also building a $33.3 billion natural gas plant, about as powerful as nine nuclear reactors, but the timeline for that project is not specified in the source.
Beyond powering AI, this move means more jobs and could help keep the US ahead in tech innovation. It's also tied to a roughly $550 billion U.S.-Japan trade and investment agreement covering major energy and infrastructure projects, including AI/data-center investment when demand for AI is exploding.