OpenAI pilots Grid Protectors program in Georgia
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OpenAI launches the Grid Protectors Program and will pilot it at a new data center in Effingham County, Georgia. OpenAI says that in extreme weather or emergencies, the data center can release up to 1,000 megawatts of power, enough to run air conditioning for about 700,000 households. OpenAI says the program will work with utility companies so that future compute campuses help support grid reliability and protect consumer electricity bills; their year-round stable electricity use can spread out fixed grid costs and will reduce demand when the grid is strained. Previously announced plans did not specify the pilot location or the amount of power that could be released, nor did they disclose specific partners or implementation timing.
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- The Verge · AIOpenAI is quietly renaming data centers ‘compute campuses’
OpenAI used the term "compute campus" repeatedly, and "data center" only twice, in its roughly 900-word announcement of a new "Grid Protectors Program" starting with a site in Effingham County, Georgia, aimed at addressing concerns about strain on local power grids. Critics including PauseAI US's Holly Elmore and the NAACP's Abre' Conner told The Verge the rebrand does not address environmental and community harms, with Elmore calling the electricity announcement "woefully tone deaf." The timing follows an Axios report that OpenAI planned to rebrand data centers as "AI compute campuses" as part of a policy and PR push after Tuesday's midterms.
- The Verge · AIOpenAI pitches data center power plants as a way to protect nearby areas
OpenAI announced a "Grid Protectors Program" pilot at an upcoming data center in Effingham County, Georgia, promising to free up to 1,000 megawatts of power during extreme weather or emergencies, enough to power air conditioners in around 700,000 homes. The announcement comes amid spreading US opposition to data centers, including protests in Utah and state laws in Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon aimed at preventing AI companies from passing energy costs to residents. OpenAI says its year-round demand can help spread the grid's fixed costs across more electricity sales, and it is also partnering with Oracle and SoftBank on "Stargate" data centers in Texas and New Mexico.
- OpenAI NewsIntroducing the Grid Protectors Program
OpenAI's Grid Protectors Program will work with utilities to help future compute campuses support grid reliability and protect consumer electricity costs.
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