OpenAI takes data center power-flexibility pledge national - TechTarget
By Google News AI ·
The Grid Protectors program builds on a Georgia agreement allowing the utility to curtail up to 1,000 MW of a planned AI campus’s electricity demand. The contract’s operating terms remain undisclosed.
OpenAI is touting a national program to reduce electricity consumption at future data center campuses during periods of grid stress, extending an approach already covered by a 25-year agreement with Georgia Power.
The agreement gives Georgia Power the ability to curtail up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity delivered to OpenAI's planned Effingham County, Georgia, campus. The project is expected to require approximately 3,200 MW, making the potential reduction about 31% of its projected demand.
OpenAI's Grid Protectors Program calls for the company to work with utilities, regulators and policymakers on arrangements specifying how much electricity a campus can reduce, how quickly it can respond and how long it can sustain a reduction. The terms will vary by location, and OpenAI said it will announce additional commitments as agreements are finalized. This news comes as community pushback on AI data centers and their effects on local power grids has become a national political hot topic.
The Georgia agreement, announced in July and approved through the Georgia Public Service Commission's regulatory process in August, predates Monday's national announcement. The campus remains under development, with power delivery expected in phases between 2028 and 2032.
Thate agreement gives Georgia Power the ability to curtail up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity delivered to OpenAI's planned Effingham County, Georgia, campus. The project is expected to require approximately 3,200 MW, making the potential reduction about 31% of its projected demand.
A Georgia Power spokesperson told…
Originally published by Google News AI
