Gotrade News - NVIDIA (NVDA) is reportedly in talks to provide a guarantee worth roughly $250 billion to help finance a massive OpenAI data center, according to a Wall Street Journal report carried by Investing.com. The arrangement is unconfirmed, and Reuters could not immediately verify the WSJ report, with sources cautioning that the deal could still fall apart.
Key Takeaways
Nvidia is reportedly in talks to backstop about $250 billion in lease and construction financing for an OpenAI data center, per a WSJ report.
The guarantee would cover a 10-gigawatt campus in southern Ohio, not the purchase of Nvidia chips.
The report is unverified and the deal could still collapse, and NVDA slipped 0.92% to $206.84 on July 26, 2026.
Separately, Nvidia agreed to buy $1 billion of new Naver shares to help fund a South Korean AI data center expansion.
Per the same Investing.com report on the WSJ story, the roughly $250 billion guarantee would cover the lease and construction financing for a data center campus rather than the purchase of Nvidia hardware. The campus, developed by SoftBank's energy subsidiary, is planned as a 10-gigawatt site in southern Ohio, with a first phase targeting 800 megawatts and expected completion in 2028.
Why the $250 Billion Backstop Matters for OpenAI's Debt Terms
The reported structure is designed to lower borrowing costs. According to Investing.com, Nvidia's backing would help secure debt on more favorable terms by easing lenders' concerns over OpenAI's lack of an investment-grade credit rating. For a project of this scale, a creditworthy guarantor can materially change how much the financing costs and how quickly it comes together.
The guarantee is only one piece of a much larger funding picture. A separate financing discussion involves roughly $350 billion tied to OpenAI's chip purchases, and the total project cost could exceed $500 billion once Nvidia hardware is included. The three figures sit in different buckets, and the table below separates them as described in the reporting.
Component
Reported amount
What it covers
Nvidia guarantee (in talks)
~$250 billion
Lease and construction financing, not chips
Chip-purchase financing
~$350 billion
OpenAI's Nvidia hardware purchases
Total project cost
Could exceed $500 billion
Full campus including Nvidia hardware
If confirmed, the deal would deepen a dynamic that markets are watching closely. Nvidia would be extending financial support to one of its own largest customers, placing the chipmaker even further at the center of the AI-infrastructure capex cycle. That circular-financing angle cuts both ways: it can accelerate buildout of the compute OpenAI needs, while also concentrating more of the AI boom's risk on a single balance sheet. OpenAI's largest backer Microsoft (MSFT) and cloud infrastructure partners such as Oracle (ORCL) remain central to how OpenAI's compute demand is ultimately met, underscoring how many large-cap names are now tied to a single customer's growth.
NVDA Slips as the Naver Stake Adds a Second Data Center Bet
The market reaction to the report was muted. NVDA slipped 0.92% to $206.84 on July 26, 2026, a modest move that reflects both the unconfirmed nature of the WSJ report and ongoing scrutiny of circular AI-infrastructure financing alongside still-strong demand for AI compute.
Separately, on July 27 Nvidia agreed to acquire $1 billion of new Naver shares, according to Investing.com. The purchase covers 7.2 million shares at 204,500 won each, a roughly 1% discount to Friday's close, giving Nvidia a stake of about 4.5% in the South Korean internet and cloud giant. As reported by Investing.com, the investment is intended to help finance the expansion of Naver's GAK data center in Sejong, South Korea, targeting 200 megawatts by 2028 using Nvidia's Vera Rubin and Blackwell chip platforms. Brookfield will provide up to $9 billion as capital partner, taking the plan to a $10 billion total.
Taken together, the two moves point to a consistent strategy of Nvidia using its balance sheet to help fund the data centers that will run its chips, from Ohio to Sejong. Whether the far larger OpenAI backstop firms up remains the open question, and until the WSJ report is confirmed it stays a reported deal rather than a done one.
Gotrade is the trading name of Gotrade Securities Inc., which is registered with and supervised by the Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA). This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research (DYOR) before investing.
