OpenAI’s AI spending spree has ballooned to $750B - TechCrunch

What the report says

TechCrunch, citing reporting from The Wall Street Journal, says OpenAI has raised its planned infrastructure spending to $750 billion through 2030, about a quarter higher than an estimate earlier this year. The article frames the increase as part of a renewed push to secure computing capacity for AI development, while noting that OpenAI’s Stargate data center effort appears to have slowed.

The first major project identified is Project Camellia, a proposed $20 billion data center campus on 1,400 acres northwest of Savannah, Georgia. TechCrunch reports that the site is expected to draw at least 3.2 gigawatts from Georgia Power, with that power capacity becoming available between 2028 and 2032. OpenAI said it would cover the infrastructure and electric-service costs tied to the data center, and Georgia Power said the company could cut its draw by as much as 1 gigawatt during peak demand periods.

The project also comes with local incentives and regulatory safeguards. According to TechCrunch, Effingham County is granting OpenAI a 50% property tax abatement for 15 years, while Georgia regulators adopted rules meant to stop utilities from shifting costs from very large new power users onto other customers.

TechCrunch said neither OpenAI nor Georgia Power immediately provided details on how the site will be powered. The report points to Georgia Power filings showing much of its newly approved capacity is expected to come from natural gas, with additional contributions from batteries and solar. The story underscores how fast-growing AI computing demand is becoming a major factor in energy planning, local tax policy and environmental scrutiny.