OpenAI has launched the Grid Protectors Program, a U.S. initiative to reduce electricity use at its future data center campuses during periods of peak grid strain. The company plans to work with utilities and regulators on flexible energy-use arrangements to help maintain reliable electricity for local communities.
Georgia will be the program’s starting point. A planned campus in Effingham County will serve as the pilot, with an agreement with Georgia Power committing the site to provide up to 1,000 megawatts of flexible demand response. That capacity is enough to power roughly 700,000 homes.
OpenAI said it will cover the project’s full infrastructure costs. It may also use on-site power generation and battery storage to manage the campus’s electricity use.