OpenAI is trying to overcome growing opposition to data center construction with a new program aimed at reducing the load on power grids in times of need.
AI infrastructure developers and officials are facing growing opposition to data centers. People are concerned with the strain on power grids, how much water data centers consume, and the light and noise pollution they produce. In an effort to address at least some of these concerns, OpenAI has rolled out its Grid Protectors Program.
Today we’re launching the Grid Protectors Program, a national effort to support affordable, reliable electricity for families and businesses in the communities where we build. Working with utilities, regulators and policymakers, we’ll develop arrangements for our future campuses to reduce electricity demand when the grid is under strain.
Whether it’s heating homes during a northern cold snap or running air conditioning through a southern heat wave, families need reliable electricity. Our goal is to make campus flexibility a resource that utilities can call on when communities need it most.
The company touts its program as a way to achieve flexibility and reduce costs for consumers:
Through Grid Protectors, our ambition is to make this kind of flexibility a core part of how we build and operate future campuses. That means designing facilities to reduce electricity use when needed and working with utilities to agree on how much demand can be reduced, how quickly and for how long. The arrangements will differ by location, and we will share additional commitments as they are finalized.
Depending on local needs and the equipment available, we will also work with grid operators to supply power from on-site generation or storage, and use batteries and power controls to smooth changes in demand.
Power lines, substations and other grid infrastructure builds are a fixed cost whether demand is low or high. By using more electricity when the grid has room and reducing our use when it is under strain, we can help pay for that infrastructure while limiting the need for costly upgrades to meet peak demand. That can help keep costs down for other customers.
OpenAI is rolling out this approach with its Georgia site:
Our agreement with Georgia Power also includes up to 1,000 megawatts of flexible demand response, freeing up power to help keep air conditioning running in hundreds of thousands of homes (~700 000 households at average electricity usage) during extreme heat. For scale, that is equivalent to the average electricity demand of roughly 700,000 households. That’s more households than Washington, D.C., and Boston combined.
These compute facilities are much different than data centers built even a few years ago, allowing us to be flexible in our power demand.
OpenAI’s program is an indication of just how far infrastructure developers are willing to go to win over consumers.