OpenAI pledges to cut power at its data-centre campuses during US grid emergencies
The Grid Protectors program extends nationwide the commitments OpenAI made in Georgia, where its 3.2-gigawatt Effingham County campus offers up to 1 gigawatt of flexible demand and OpenAI pays the full cost of new grid infrastructure, and it applies to campuses the company develops directly.
Why it matters
Flexible demand lets a grid operator ask a campus to cut use when supply is tight, which eases one of the main local objections to very large data centres. The pledge covers only sites OpenAI develops itself. It comes as local officials in Georgia prepare to vote on Tuesday on site plans for an OpenAI data centre, the Savannah Morning News reports. Watch that vote and whether utilities or other labs adopt similar terms.
Key facts
- Program name: Grid Protectors
- Effingham County, Georgia campus: 3.2 gigawatts
- Up to 1 gigawatt of flexible demand
- OpenAI pays full cost of new grid infrastructure
- Covers campuses OpenAI develops directly