The Largest Private Investment in Coastal Georgia History
OpenAI has announced plans for Project Camellia, a long-term data center campus in Effingham County, Georgia, representing a $20 billion capital investment that local officials describe as one of the largest private investments in the history of coastal Georgia. The project is expected to create 400 long-term jobs and thousands of construction positions, with the campus located within the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub.
The announcement, made jointly by the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority, Board of Commissioners, and School District, positions the facility as a cornerstone of OpenAI's domestic AI infrastructure expansion. It follows the company's first major campus in Abilene, Texas, which is already operating at scale and training frontier models.
Four Community Commitments
OpenAI outlined four initial commitments designed to address common concerns about data center development:
No ratepayer subsidies. OpenAI will pay the full cost of infrastructure and electric service. Under Georgia Public Service Commission rules, these costs cannot be passed to existing ratepayers. The company also committed to being one of the first data centers designed to proactively reduce power consumption during grid stress periods, providing up to 1,000 MW of flexible demand response under a 25-year agreement with Georgia Power.
Minimal water use. The project will use a closed-loop cooling system, similar to a car radiator, that recirculates water rather than continuously withdrawing it. Ongoing water needs are expected to be comparable to an office building of similar employment size.
Community investment. OpenAI will provide $80 million in community benefits over the project's lifetime, directed toward local priorities including schools, public safety, healthcare, workforce training, housing, and small business support. This is separate from projected tax revenue, which county officials say could accelerate "Project Zero," an initiative to eliminate county homestead property taxes, potentially reducing average homeowner taxes by 40%.
Student access to AI tools. The company will make up to **100 per student to build hands-on experience with agentic AI.
Accountability and Engagement
To ensure these commitments are met, OpenAI pledged annual independent public audits of the project. The company has also committed to ongoing engagement with local officials, schools, and community organizations, with a public open house held on July 23 to gather resident input. A Georgia Community Compact will memorialize specific commitments and accountability measures as development progresses.
Infrastructure and Timeline
The facility will require approximately 3,200 megawatts of power, to be delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032. Georgia Power announced it will serve the project under updated PSC rules designed to meet large-energy user needs while protecting existing customers. The site is pre-existing industrially zoned land, which OpenAI notes will generate less traffic and use less water than a warehouse project on the same parcel.
Context and Stakes
Project Camellia arrives as the race to build domestic AI infrastructure intensifies. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta are all expanding data center footprints, often facing local opposition over power grid strain, water use, and noise. OpenAI's approach, emphasizing upfront community benefits, ratepayer protections, and public accountability, appears designed to preempt the conflicts that have slowed other projects.
For Effingham County, the economic impact could be transformative. A single project that eliminates county property taxes while creating high-paying jobs and funding schools represents a level of investment rarely seen in rural Georgia. The risk, as with all data center projects, is that the promised benefits materialize as projected and that the 3.2 gigawatt power requirement does not create downstream grid constraints for the region.
OpenAI frames the project as part of a broader strategy to strengthen domestic AI infrastructure, create jobs, and ensure American communities benefit from the economic opportunity AI generates. With significant work remaining on infrastructure, phasing, design, and financing, the company says it will share more details as plans develop.