OpenAI is close to landing a $500 billion data center project that would rank among the largest infrastructure investments of the A.I. boom. The chipmaking giant Nvidia is in talks to provide a $250 billion financial backstop for the massive undertaking, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The proposed facility would dwarf existing AI computing clusters and signal an unprecedented scaling of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Nvidia's potential commitment represents a significant deepening of its partnership with OpenAI, moving beyond chip supply into direct project financing.

If finalized, the deal would reshape the competitive landscape for AI compute capacity and could accelerate the development of next-generation models requiring massive training resources. The scale of investment underscores the intensifying race among tech giants to secure the physical infrastructure underpinning advanced AI systems.