Thousands of Ohio college students will soon have access to OpenAI's software as the tech giant committed to leasing out what is said will be one of the world’s biggest data centers in Pike County.
OpenAI announced Aug. 17 that it will be the tenant of a massive, half-trillion-dollar data center that broke ground in Piketon earlier this year. The data center campus – a collaboration between Japanese-owed SB Energy; California-based Nvidia and the U.S. Department of Energy – is estimated to take about six years to build out.
The San Francisco-based OpenAI agreed to secure approximately 8 gigawatts of information technology electrical power from the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus, located about 70 miles south of Columbus.
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OpenAI said in a press release that it will create 35,000 construction jobs and 2,500 “long-term operating” jobs at the site. The company also said it is committed to "paying its project-specific energy and infrastructure costs, using water responsibly, creating opportunities for local workers and businesses and making long-term investments shaped by the community."
One of those investments is giving every Ohio college student access to OpenAI's generative AI tools.
The company said it would provide up to $84 million in Codex credits to ChatGPT. Codex is an OpenAI software within ChatGPT created for more-complex tasks like coding and technical projects, and different than a chat assistant. Codex credits allow people to pay for OpenAI tasks beyond standard subscription limits.
OpenAI said it will provide access for some 844,000 eligible Ohio college, community college and technical school students age 18 and older during the 2026–2027 academic year.
"Eligible students will receive $100 in credits through their ChatGPT accounts, giving them hands-on experience using AI to carry out complex tasks, create projects, and build practical skills for careers across engineering, manufacturing, health care, education, entrepreneurship and the skilled trades," OpenAI said in a press release.
Students can learn more about Codex credits on ChatGPT's website.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OpenAI to give Ohio college, tech students AI tools through development deal
