OpenAI commits $750B to infrastructure through 2030, launches Georgia data center

OpenAI announced Wednesday that it will spend $750 billion（約120兆円） on infrastructure through 2030, a 25% increase from estimates made earlier in the year. The Wall Street Journal reported the commitment, which comes as OpenAI's Stargate data center project appears to have stalled.

The centerpiece of this spending plan is Project Camellia, a $20 billion（約3.2兆円） data center campus in Georgia. The development will span 1,400 acres northwest of Savannah and will draw at least 3.2 gigawatts of power from Georgia Power, the region's utility. The generating capacity is expected to become available between 2028 and 2032. OpenAI said it would pay the full cost of the infrastructure and electric-service costs for the new data center, and the company is receiving a 50% property tax abatement for 15 years from Effingham County. Additionally, OpenAI will reduce its power draw by up to 1 gigawatt during periods of high demand on the grid, addressing a key concern for Georgia Power's network stability.

Neither OpenAI nor Georgia Power has disclosed how Project Camellia will be powered. However, regulatory filings provide context: in December, Georgia Power received approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to produce an additional 9,885 megawatts of capacity. The utility told the PSC it expects to have all that capacity contracted by the end of 2026, and the OpenAI deal accounts for about a third of it. According to documents Georgia Power filed with the PSC, most of the new capacity will come from natural gas. The utility said it will build or buy from third parties about 5.8 gigawatts of natural gas generating capacity, about a quarter of which will come from more polluting simple-cycle turbines. The remainder will be supplied by grid-scale batteries and solar. Altogether, the new fossil fuel capacity will more than double Georgia Power's natural gas fleet.

Electricity from Georgia Power is expected to start flowing in 2028, but OpenAI did not give a timeline for when the first GPU will be turned on. That could happen sooner than 2028 given that OpenAI recently hired Brett Mayo to lead data center construction. Mayo previously worked at xAI, where he oversaw the Colossus data center in Memphis. Colossus was built in record time, though it has allegedly taken its toll on local air quality. A lawsuit filed by the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center alleges that the xAI data center has been running dozens of unpermitted natural gas turbines while claiming exemption from federal clean air regulations.

OpenAI's $750 billion（約120兆円） commitment reflects the staggering capital intensity of building large-scale AI infrastructure. The announcement comes as the company's Stargate data center project has stalled, suggesting Project Camellia may represent a pivot in strategy or a more achievable path to securing power and land. By securing a Georgia location, OpenAI gains access to the Southeast's growing utility infrastructure and favorable tax treatment—critical when competing for scarce electricity resources.

The power challenge looms large. Georgia Power has approved 9,885 megawatts of new capacity, with OpenAI's deal accounting for roughly a third. Regulatory filings show most of that new capacity will come from natural gas—5.8 gigawatts total, more than doubling Georgia Power's natural gas fleet—alongside grid-scale batteries and solar. The split between gas, battery, and renewable sources for Project Camellia specifically remains unconfirmed, but the broader buildout signals reliance on fossil fuels. This echoes concerns raised about xAI's Colossus data center in Memphis, where Brett Mayo (now leading OpenAI's data center construction) previously worked; that facility has faced environmental litigation over unpermitted natural gas turbines.

The timeline suggests electricity may arrive in 2028–2032, but GPU deployment could begin earlier. Mayo's track record at Colossus, built in record time, hints at OpenAI's urgency—though it also invites scrutiny over environmental corners that may be cut.