OpenAI plans to invest over $30 billion in building an AI data center campus in Georgia, ramping up its global computing power layout.

To meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence software, OpenAI plans to build a large AI data center campus near Savannah, Georgia in the United States. The total investment for the project is estimated to exceed 30 billion dollars, further expanding its global AI infrastructure layout. OpenAI has signed an agreement with Georgia Power to secure 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of power supply for the data center campus located in Effingham County, making it one of the largest AI data center projects for the company. According to the plan, the first batch of several hundred megawatts of computing power is expected to be operational by 2028, with the rest to be completed by 2032. For reference, 1 gigawatt of power is enough to power about 750,000 households in the United States simultaneously. OpenAI has stated that in order to obtain incentive policies being reviewed by the local government this week, the company has committed to investing 20 billion dollars in Effingham County. Sachin Katti, Vice President of Computing Power Strategy, mentioned that if the project ultimately reaches the planned 3.2 gigawatt scale, the total investment is expected to exceed 30 billion dollars. Katti revealed that the company is currently seeking partners to participate in financing and construction of the data center, and is not ruling out taking on some of the operational tasks themselves. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had previously stated that in order to achieve long-term AI development goals, the company plans to invest trillions of dollars in infrastructure. Currently, OpenAI is advancing large data center construction in Europe, the Middle East, and multiple states in the United States through its "Stargate" initiative in partnership with collaborators. However, OpenAI has recently adjusted some of its infrastructure plans, including scaling back projects in the UK and Norway, and deciding not to expand the construction scale of the flagship Stargate campus in Texas. Market observers believe that this move reflects the company's efforts to optimize capital expenditure and product layout further as it progresses towards a potential IPO. At the same time, the collaboration model for the Stargate project has also evolved. Initially launched by OpenAI, Oracle Corporation, and SoftBank Group, different projects now utilize more flexible collaboration combinations, with OpenAI becoming more involved in the overall planning and design of data centers, including the project in Georgia. Katti stated that after accumulating experience in constructing two to three generations of AI computing centers, the company has gained more methods to reduce costs and shorten construction periods, and therefore hopes to lead the overall design process for the next generation of AI data centers. He also revealed that OpenAI plans to establish unified data center design standards and make them publicly available as reference models for future open-sourcing of data center, hardware, and network architecture designs. This plan is similar to the Open Compute Project initiated by Meta in 2011, aiming to promote the standardization development of the entire industry's infrastructure. As AI competition heats up, major tech companies are continuing to invest in computing power. Anthropic recently signed multiple collaboration agreements, including acquiring over 300 megawatts of computing power resources at the SpaceX Memphis Colossus 1 data center; Meta has committed to investing over 250 billion dollars to build a super-large AI data center campus in Louisiana. However, more and more large data center projects are facing resistance from local communities. Residents and local governments are generally concerned that data centers may push up electricity prices and have an impact on the environment, posing new challenges for technology companies in advancing AI infrastructure development. In response, OpenAI stated that the company will bear all the electricity infrastructure and power costs of the Georgia project, and local regulations prohibit passing on related costs to existing residential users. Additionally, the new data center will have the ability to actively reduce power usage during peak hours to minimize the impact on surrounding residents, and will utilize closed-loop cooling systems to reuse cooling water, thereby reducing overall water usage. Furthermore, OpenAI expects to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local taxes, and plans to establish a community fund while providing AI service usage quotas to local students. Chris Lehane, Head of Global Public Policy at OpenAI, stated that the company has engaged with local government and will begin face-to-face discussions with community residents starting this Thursday to hear public opinions. The company also plans to conduct independent audits to ensure that all commitments are fulfilled. Lehane stated that different regions face different challenges, so the company will not adopt a one-size-fits-all approach and will push projects forward based on local circumstances.