OpenAI secures 3.2-gigawatt Georgia power deal through 2032

OpenAI is developing a major data center campus in Effingham County, Georgia, code-named "Project Camellia." The company signed a long-term electricity supply agreement with Georgia Power committing to 3.2 gigawatts delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032—a scale that underscores the enormous energy demands of modern AI infrastructure.

To address community concerns and forestall the kind of local opposition that has hindered data center projects elsewhere in the US, OpenAI has pledged $80 million（約130億円） in direct investment for schools, healthcare, and housing in the Effingham County area. Additionally, the company committed up to $71 million（約110億円） in Codex credits for Georgia students, a move that serves dual purposes: funding education while building early adoption of OpenAI's platform among young users. This mirrors similar community investment programs run by Anthropic and other AI companies.

The facility itself will employ a closed-loop water cooling system, a design meant to minimize ongoing water consumption—a response to the intense scrutiny data centers face over their environmental impact. OpenAI has emphasized that it will bear all costs of the power supply, so electricity rates for local residents and businesses will not rise. However, the company has disclosed only vague figures on actual water and energy use so far, leaving questions about the project's real environmental footprint unanswered.

The cautious approach reflects the hardening reality of data center siting in America. Residents across the country have mounted growing protests, citing not just resource depletion and noise but a mismatch between promised job creation and the modest number of permanent local positions that facilities actually generate. OpenAI's financial commitments and technical design choices are a bid to smooth local relations, yet skepticism about whether such pledges offset the true costs of industrial-scale AI infrastructure remains widespread.

OpenAI's 3.2-gigawatt Georgia Power deal reflects a broader pattern of AI companies seeking massive energy sources to power data centers that train and run large language models. The phased delivery schedule from 2028 to 2032 suggests OpenAI is planning a substantial long-term operational footprint in Effingham County. The company's community investment strategy—$80 million（約130億円） in direct funding plus Codex credits for students—mirrors programs run by competitors like Anthropic, indicating that AI infrastructure projects have become flashpoints for local concern.

The resistance OpenAI anticipates is grounded in real grievances. Residents across the US have protested new data centers citing heavy resource consumption and noise, alongside a persistent gap between hype around job creation and the actual number of permanent local positions available. OpenAI's commitment to a closed-loop water cooling system and self-funded power costs are technical and financial safeguards, yet the company has released only vague consumption figures to date. This opacity, combined with the historical pattern of residents experiencing downsides without proportional upside, suggests skepticism about the project may persist regardless of pledged benefits.