OpenAI launched the Grid Protectors Program, promising that its future campuses will cut electricity use when grids are under strain. Its planned Georgia campus is the pilot, with up to 1,000MW of flexible demand. No other sites have been named.

OpenAI has launched a national programme to make its future data centres cut their power use when local grids are under strain, the company said on Monday.

Under the Grid Protectors Program, OpenAI will agree with utilities how much power each campus can give up, how quickly and for how long. Some sites may also feed the grid from on-site generators or batteries. The terms will vary by location.

“Families and small businesses should not be asked to subsidize a compute campus's electricity needs,” OpenAI wrote.

The pilot is OpenAI's planned 3.2GW campus in Effingham County, Georgia. Under a 25-year deal, approved in August, Georgia Power can cut up to 1,000MW from the site at busy times. That is about the average demand of 700,000 homes, OpenAI says.

OpenAI will also pay the full cost of the power lines and service the campus needs. Georgia Power says the flexibility means it can build less new generation. It expects deals with large users like OpenAI to save customers about $950M a year from 2029.

The move comes as anger over rising power bills stalls data centre projects across the US. Congress has weighed making big users pay for grid upgrades, and the White House has asked builders to sign a voluntary pledge to cover their own power costs. Google and Nvidia have formed an alliance of their own to make data centres flex their power.

OpenAI admits flexibility cannot replace new power plants and power lines. It has not named any other sites.