OpenAI announced Project Camellia, a long-term datacenter project in Effingham County, Georgia. The project contracts with Georgia Power for 3.

2 gigawatts of power, delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032. OpenAI outlined initial commitments guiding engagement, development, and operation.

Electricity rates will not increase for Georgia families; OpenAI will pay the full cost of infrastructure and electric-service costs, and under Georgia Public Service Commission rules those costs cannot be passed to existing ratepayers.

The data center will be designed to proactively reduce power consumption before residential customers are affected during periods of high demand, supporting grid reliability.

Water use is minimal, using a closed-loop system that recirculates water like a car radiator; ongoing water needs are comparable to an office building with the same number of employees.

OpenAI committed $80 million in community benefits over the project’s life, directed toward local priorities such as schools, public safety, health care, workforce training, housing, veterans’ services, and small business support.

This is separate from projected tax revenue—hundreds of millions in state and local taxes—and the project is expected to be the largest taxpayer in the county, creating thousands of construction and permanent on-site jobs with priority for local contractors.

Additionally, OpenAI will make up to $71 million in Codex credits available to eligible Georgia college, community college, and technical school students.

Each eligible student receives $100 in credits through their ChatGPT accounts to use Codex, OpenAI‘s agentic coding tool, to gain hands-on experience with agentic AI and build practical skills.

To ensure accountability, an annual independent audit will be publicly released.

OpenAI has been meeting with state and local officials, community leaders, and schools, and will hold a public open house on July 23 to gather input.

This input will help shape a Georgia Community Compact memorializing commitments with specific accountability measures.

The proposed site is within the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, a pre-existing industrially-zoned warehouse project.

It is expected to generate materially less traffic, use less water, create stronger long-term tax revenue, and support more durable on-site employment than a warehouse project.

OpenAI states that computing infrastructure is a main factor determining how quickly AI improves, how reliably it works, and how broadly it can be used.

Building in the US strengthens domestic industry, creates good jobs, and helps American communities participate in AI economic opportunity. The project is entirely privately funded.

OpenAI‘s first campus in Abilene, Texas is already operating at scale, training frontier models and supporting thousands of jobs.

Significant work remains on infrastructure, project phasing, design, financing, and operating model, and OpenAI intends to continue engaging with local communities, government, workforce organizations, and partners.