OpenAI строит Project Camellia: новый центр AI-инфраструктуры в округе Эффингем, Джорджия

In July 2026, OpenAI announced Project Camellia — a new AI infrastructure site around Effingham County, Georgia. The company committed to responsible energy use, investment in the local community, job creation, and giving residents access to the Codex tool.

What OpenAI is building in Georgia

Project Camellia is an OpenAI AI infrastructure facility located in Effingham County in southeastern Georgia, a mostly rural area near Savannah. OpenAI is presenting the project not as an ordinary data center build, but as an initiative carried out together with the local community: the company tied the launch directly to specific commitments to the county.

Key facts from the announcement:

• Project name — Project Camellia
• Location — Effingham County, Georgia, USA
• Developer — OpenAI
• Four areas of commitment: energy, community investment, jobs, access to Codex

What the local community will get

OpenAI named four commitments to Effingham County. The first is a responsible approach to energy: a facility of this class consumes significant amounts of electricity, and the company specifically highlights this point. The second and third are investment in the local community and job creation in the region. The fourth is resident access to Codex, OpenAI's AI assistant for writing and editing code in natural language.

OpenAI is committing to responsible energy, investment in the community, jobs, and access to

Codex.

— from OpenAI's announcement about Project Camellia

The financial scope of the project, the number of new jobs, and the construction timeline are not disclosed in the published announcement.

Why it matters

Owned AI infrastructure is a bottleneck for OpenAI: training and running models are constrained by the availability of data centers and electricity. Project Camellia in Effingham County shows how the company ties new facilities to specific territories: the emphasis on "responsible energy" responds to growing criticism of AI data centers' energy consumption, while promises of investment and jobs are a standard argument in negotiations with local authorities.

A separate signal is access to Codex for county residents. OpenAI is presenting the infrastructure project not just as a construction effort, but also as a channel for distributing its own products among the local population: people living near the data center get the same development tool as the company's customers.

What it means

OpenAI continues to scale up the physical infrastructure behind its models, and it does so through deals with specific counties where the data center comes bundled with commitments on energy, money, and jobs. Project Camellia is another such node, this time in Georgia.

Frequently asked questions

What is Project Camellia?

Project Camellia is an OpenAI AI infrastructure facility in Effingham County, Georgia. The company announced it together with commitments on energy, community investment, jobs, and access to Codex.

What does OpenAI promise Effingham County?

OpenAI named four commitments: a responsible approach to energy, investment in the local community, job creation, and resident access to the Codex AI assistant. Specific amounts and timelines are not stated in the announcement.