OpenAI says its AI data centers will cut their power use when the grid is strained
A new OpenAI program asks its future AI sites to use less electricity during heat waves and cold snaps. The first test is a planned site in Georgia.
When a heat wave hits, almost everyone turns on the air conditioning at once. That is when the power grid is under the most strain. On November 2, OpenAI said its future AI data centers will help in those moments.
A data center is a large building full of computers that run AI. OpenAI calls its new plan the Grid Protectors Program. It says it will work with power companies so its future sites can "reduce electricity demand when the grid is under strain".
The first test is a planned OpenAI site in Effingham County, Georgia. OpenAI says its deal with Georgia Power lets that site cut its use by up to 1,000 megawatts when power is needed elsewhere. OpenAI says that equals the average power use of roughly 700,000 households.
OpenAI also says it will pay the full cost of the power lines and equipment that serve the site. In its words, "Families and small businesses should not be asked to subsidize a compute campus’s electricity needs".
Georgia Power expects about $950 million a year in savings for customers, starting in 2029. That figure comes from all its deals with large power users and expected growth, not only OpenAI. The utility estimates at least $15 a month for a typical home customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours. A kilowatt-hour is the unit you see on your power bill.
OpenAI says this does not replace building new power plants and power lines. It says details for other sites will come later.
Open it and check the claim yourself. That is the point.