OpenAI is pushing to build community support for a planned new data center in Georgia in an apparent effort to avoid the type of backlash rising against AI infrastructure projects across the US.
The ChatGPT maker on Wednesday unveiled its plans to build “Project Camellia,” an at least $20 billion data center campus in rural Effingham County, just outside Savannah, that will require 3.2 gigawatts of power.
OpenAI said that it has been meeting with state and local officials, community leaders, schools, and other stakeholders to gather feedback on the project and will hold a public open house on Thursday.
“We believe showing up early is the right way to build trust, with that, we are still at the beginning of the development process,” OpenAI said in a press release. “Significant work remains on infrastructure, project phasing, design, financing, and operating model.”
Effingham County Commissioner Jamie DeLoach said in a statement that he and his team “asked the tough questions” and found that the project “uses minimal water, won’t increase energy costs for county residents, will generate new tax revenue to support our schools, and create new opportunities for local businesses.”
OpenAI added it has contracted with Georgia Power to deliver electricity to the 1,400-acre campus in phases between 2028 and 2032.
OpenAI says water use will be ‘minimal,’ utility bills won’t rise, and schools get free AI tokens
Alongside the announcement, OpenAI detailed a four-point pledge addressing issues that have fueled widespread opposition to data centers elsewhere, including electricity costs, water use, and community impacts.
OpenAI said local residents would not see higher electricity bills because of the project and that the facility’s water use would be “minimal” due to its closed-loop water system.
“Georgia families will not subsidize this project. OpenAI will pay the full cost of the infrastructure and electric-service costs required to serve it,” the company said.
It said that the project will be one of the first data centers designed to “proactively reduce its power consumption before residential customers are impacted during periods of high demand.”
OpenAI also said it would provide $80 million in community benefits over the life of the project and will make up to $71 million in credits for Codex, its AI coding tool, available to eligible Georgia college, community college and technical school students. Georgia students who are eligible will get $100 in Codex credits through their ChatGPT account.
An independent firm will conduct an annual audit of OpenAI’s commitments to be released to the public, the company said.
OpenAI expects to create thousands of construction jobs and more than 1,000 operational roles once the campus is fully built out.
Companies are racing to build AI data centers throughout the country and many communities are pushing back over concerns about the potential environmental and economic impacts.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the challenge earlier this year, saying, “AI is not very popular in the US right now.”
“Data centers are getting blamed for electricity price hikes. Almost every company that does layoffs is blaming AI, whether or not it really is about AI,” he said.
According to the research project Data Center Watch, at least 75 data center proposals worth an estimated $130 billion were delayed or blocked during the first three months of 2026 due to local opposition.
As of May, there were at least 430 local Facebook groups with more than 525,000 members fighting back against AI data centers, according to the Data Center Opposition Report, which tracks local opposition to the projects.
Georgia’s 12th Congressional District Democratic Committee has issued an “urgent call to action” via Facebook, urging community members to show up to Thursday’s public meeting.
Earlier this month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order imposing the nation’s first statewide moratorium on large-scale data centers.
Read the full article here
