# OpenAI pitches data centers as grid protectors

> OpenAI says its new AI data centers will free up power during emergencies, rebranding them as community assets rather than energy hogs.
- Title: OpenAI pitches data centers as grid protectors · The Verge
- Summary: OpenAI says its new AI data centers will free up power during emergencies, rebranding them as community assets rather than energy hogs. OpenAI announced a…
- Keywords: openai, data centers, artificial intelligence, power grid, georgia, energy consumption, public opposition, stargate project, technology, culture, pitches, data
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1024604/openai-data-center-grid-protection-program
- Author: Emma Roth
- Published: 2026-11-02T18:01:30+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: openai, data centers, artificial intelligence, power grid, georgia, energy consumption, public opposition, stargate project, technology, culture
## OpenAI launches Grid Protectors Program
OpenAI announced on Monday it will pilot its Grid Protectors Program at a data center in Effingham County, Georgia, promising to free up to one thousand megawatts during extreme weather or emergencies.
## That power could serve 700,000 homes
The one thousand megawatts OpenAI promises to release is enough to power air conditioners in around seven hundred thousand homes during peak demand.
## Data center opposition is spreading
Opposition to data centers spreads across the US as massive projects develop with little local input.
## States are restricting AI data centers
Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon and others have enacted laws preventing AI companies from passing energy costs to residents, alongside moratoriums and other restrictions on data center development.
## OpenAI rebrands centers as campuses
OpenAI switched to calling AI data centers compute campuses to separate from their poor public reputation. The company claims steady year-round power demand helps spread grid costs and reduce strain during peak times.

> Electricity demand also rises and falls with the seasons, with different regions facing their biggest peaks at different times. Our compute campuses need power year-round.
## Stargate project expands across US
OpenAI is partnering with Oracle and SoftBank to build Stargate data centers in Shackelford County, Texas; Doña Ana County, New Mexico; and Milam County, Texas, alongside the Georgia facility.
## Key takeaway

OpenAI announced a Grid Protectors Program to release up to one thousand megawatts during emergencies, repositioning data centers as utilities rather than polluters amid growing public opposition.