Trump Cabinet Unveils $1.5 Trillion Ohio AI Campus With 18 Reactors
Updated
Updated · WKRC TV Cincinnati · Jun 19
Trump Cabinet Unveils $1.5 Trillion Ohio AI Campus With 18 Reactors
1 articles · Updated · WKRC TV Cincinnati · Jun 19
Summary
$1.5 trillion in SoftBank-backed investment would turn the former PORTS uranium site in Pike County, Ohio, into what officials call the world's largest AI data center campus, paired with a $33 billion gas plant and 18 small modular reactors.
35,000 workers are expected to build the project, and local leaders say the site already has unusual advantages: a grid once consuming 3% of U.S. electricity and water systems sized for the old enrichment plant.
Pike County residents have largely welcomed the plan even as AI data centers face protests elsewhere over power, water, noise and pollution, with supporters pointing to jobs in one of Ohio's poorest counties.
DOE is still spending $14 billion to $18 billion cleaning up the Cold War-era PORTS complex, and some nearby homes remain radioactively contaminated, though local officials say several bought-out properties can be shifted to industrial use.
Backers say the redevelopment could become a model for repurposing contaminated brownfield and former industrial sites for AI and energy infrastructure.
Can a toxic Cold War site truly power the future of AI without creating a new environmental disaster?
With a $1.5 trillion budget, can this AI campus overcome global supply chain delays to meet its ambitious 2029 launch date?
U.S.-Japan $1.5 Trillion AI & Nuclear Power Push: Inside the Race for Energy, Security, and Global Tech Supremacy
Overview
In May 2025, the Trump administration launched a sweeping federal strategy through a series of executive orders, directly linking the rapid development of nuclear power to securing U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and strengthening national security. This strategy aims to streamline federal permitting for critical infrastructure like data centers and energy projects by introducing new Categorical Exclusions under NEPA and expanding the FAST-41 process, with a key order requiring expedited approvals within 180 days. The approach reflects concerns that, without significant long-term investment, the United States risks losing its technological edge in areas vital to its economy and security.