OpenAI is designing and developing a long-term datacenter project called Project Camellia in Effingham County, Georgia. The company says it is contracting with Georgia Power Company for 3.2 gigawatts of power for the site, to be delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032.
Key commitments
- Electricity rates and cost responsibility
- OpenAI states that residential electricity rates will not increase as a result of this project; Georgia households will not subsidize it. The company says it will cover the full cost of the infrastructure and electric-service needed for the facility, and Georgia Public Service Commission rules prohibit passing those costs onto existing ratepayers.
- OpenAI also says the data center will be one of the first designed to proactively reduce power consumption during periods of high demand, supporting the reliability of Georgia Power’s grid and neighboring residents.
- Water use
- The project will use a closed-loop water system that recirculates water rather than continuously withdrawing and discharging it. OpenAI likens the system to a car radiator and says the aim is to keep ongoing water use low.
- Ongoing water needs for restrooms, kitchens, sanitation and maintenance are expected to be similar to an office building with comparable employee counts and will not divert water from local communities.
- Local benefits and taxes
- OpenAI commits $80 million in community benefits over the life of the project. Those funds will be informed by community input and directed to local priorities such as schools, public safety, health care, utilities, workforce training, housing, veterans’ services, and support for small businesses and working families. This commitment is separate from projected tax revenues and Codex credits.
- The company says it will pay hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local taxes and expects to be the largest taxpayer in the county. The project is expected to create thousands of construction and permanent on-site jobs and OpenAI says it will prioritize local contractors and businesses.
- Codex credits for students
- In addition to the $80 million community fund, OpenAI will make up to $71 million in Codex credits available to eligible Georgia college, community college, and technical school students. Codex is OpenAI’s agentic coding tool available within ChatGPT, intended to help people build software and complete technical projects.
- Eligible students will receive $100 in credits through their ChatGPT accounts to extend their use of Codex, gain hands-on experience with agentic AI, and develop practical skills relevant to engineering, manufacturing, health care, education, entrepreneurship and skilled trades.
- Accountability
- To ensure the project meets its commitments, OpenAI says it will commission an annual, publicly available audit by an independent firm.
Community engagement and the Georgia Community Compact
- OpenAI reports ongoing meetings with state and local officials, community leaders, schools and regional partners to gather feedback and learn local priorities. A public open house for residents is scheduled for Thursday, July 23, where people can meet the project team and ask questions.
- Feedback from the open house and continued conversations will inform a Georgia Community Compact that will translate community priorities into specific commitments and clear accountability measures as the project develops.
Site, traffic and environmental claims
- The proposed location is within the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, an existing industrially zoned warehouse project. OpenAI says the datacenter is expected to generate materially less traffic than a warehouse on the same site, use less water, produce stronger long-term tax revenue and support more durable on-site employment.
Rationale and context
- OpenAI argues that computing infrastructure is a key factor in how quickly and reliably AI improves and how widely it can be used. Building such infrastructure in the United States, the company says, strengthens domestic industry, creates jobs and helps ensure communities share in the economic opportunities of AI.
- The company notes its Abilene, Texas campus as an existing example where a first campus is operating at scale, training frontier models and supporting thousands of jobs.
Development stage and next steps
- OpenAI emphasizes the project is at an early development stage and that significant work remains on infrastructure, phasing, design, financing and operations. The company states it will continue to engage with local communities, government, workforce organizations and financing partners as those details are developed.
Further information
- For updates and more information OpenAI directs interested parties to www.projectcamellia.com.
