OpenAI is spending $30 billion on a new mega 3.2 GW data center in Georgia and it's trying really hard to quell local opposition

Date:
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 15:05:00 +0000

Description:
OpenAI really wants to avoid the local opposition seen at other data center projects, and is willing to offer commitments to the locals to ensure its campus gets built.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter OpenAI has announced a 3.2 gigawatt AI data center in Georgia The campus will be built on an existing industrially-zoned warehouse project OpenAI has laid out four commitments to the local community OpenAI is planning to build a new $30 billion AI data center campus in Effingham County, Georgia, that will deliver 3.2 gigawatts
of compute once fully operational.

The site, named Project Camellia, will span 1,400 acres and is expected to be completed in phases between 2028 and 2032. The construction will take place
on a pre-existing industrially-zoned warehouse project in the Savannah
Gateway Industrial Hub. But OpenAIs announcement significantly differs from previous data center announcements, with the focus being on how the project will benefit the local community, rather than the added capacity and compute it will offer to OpenAIs models. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: OpenAI wants to be accountable In order to try and quell some of the local opposition to new data center projects, OpenAIs announcement breaks down into a four point plan for community engagement.

The first focuses on one of the main concerns for Americans across the country: electricity. OpenAI pledges to pay the full cost of the infrastructure and electric-service costs required to serve it. But, as
OpenAI highlights in the announcement, Georgia Public Service Commission
rules prevent the company from passing on any costs to existing ratepayers in the first place. So its less of a pledge, and more an acknowledgement of the rules. You may like The data center debate rumbles on - here are the numbers behind People Over Profit OpenAI will now let you pay to ensure 'guaranteed capacity' for up to three years Meta splashes extra $40 billion on its nearly 4,000-acre data center campus in Louisiana

But OpenAI says it will proactively reduce its power consumption before residential customers are impacted during periods of high demand in order to meaningfully support the reliability of Georgia Powers electric system and support our neighbors. How this will work in practice is not detailed.

OpenAI says the new data center will also operate using a closed-loop cooling system to prevent unnecessary water use through continuous withdrawing and discharging in the local water supply - so outside of the initial system
flush and subsequent filling of the closed loop system, the actual water
usage will be comparatively low. But things can still go wrong during these initial water intakes and discharges . Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

As a third benefit for the local community, OpenAI has pledged $80 million in community benefits over the life of the project on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue that OpenAI expects will make it the largest taxpayer in the county. OpenAI will also provide eligible Georgia college, community college, and technical school students with up to $71 million in credits for OpenAI Codex.

OpenAI does not give a timeframe for the lifespan of the project, so the $80 million in community benefits could be a relatively small annual amount depending on how long the project is expected to last.

Finally, OpenAI commits to being accountable. OpenAI says it has already been gathering feedback from state and local officials, community leaders,
schools, and other regional partners to learn about local priorities and gather feedback on the project. To that end, OpenAI is holding a public open house on July 23, one day after the initial announcement was made. Feedback from this meeting, and subsequent engagements with the local community will
be memorialized in a Georgia Community Compact to translate community priorities into specific commitments and clear accountability measures as the project develops. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/openai-is-spending-usd30-billion-on-a-new-mega-3 -2-gw-data-center-in-georgia-and-its-trying-really-hard-to-quell-local-opposit ion


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)