In mid-May, Gov. Brian Kemp slipped into a private briefing in Atlanta with senior representatives from OpenAI and Georgia Power, a quiet sit-down that only later surfaced on his public schedule and in a one-page memo dated May 20. Officials have declined to say what was discussed, and the timing stands out as communities across Georgia grow louder in their pushback against large data-center projects over water use and strain on the power grid.
What the memo showed
The one-page briefing memo prepared for May 20 says the purpose was to "brief the governor on OpenAI’s activity in the state of Georgia" and to "provide an overview of why Georgia and any specific sites are of interest, jobs and investment commitments, and OpenAI’s current strategy and timeline," according to reporting by The Current GA. The document, obtained through an open-records request, lists OpenAI attendees described as working on site readiness, economic development and power projects.
Officials offer few details
A Kemp spokesman told GPB he would not discuss the governor’s "private conversations and meetings," and Georgia Power told GPB it "can’t discuss specific projects or potential customer agreements" while emphasizing its role in keeping electricity reliable and affordable. An OpenAI spokesperson declined to confirm private meetings and instead pointed reporters to public materials about its national data-center plans.
State AI office already engaged
Georgia opened a state Office of Artificial Intelligence in 2025; its 2025 Year in Review says the office launched an "AI Pilot’s License Program" that made 500 ChatGPT Enterprise licenses available to state agencies, according to the Office of Artificial Intelligence. The effort is presented as part of broader workforce training and governance work intended to help state agencies adopt AI responsibly.
Why energy and Stargate matter to Georgia
OpenAI is part of a national "Stargate" push announced at the White House in January 2025 that leaders said could direct up to $500 billion into U.S. AI data-center infrastructure, reporting by The Washington Post shows. Those campus-scale builds have raised questions about who pays for new generation and transmission. OpenAI has said it will "pay its own way on energy" for Stargate sites, Axios reported.
Local backlash and what to watch
Across Georgia, local officials and residents have pushed back against new data-center proposals. A recent rezoning bid for roughly 700 acres in Kingsland prompted enough opposition that the applicant withdrew the request, reporting by The Current GA shows. For now, Kemp’s office has provided only the one-page briefing memo in response to an open-records request, and whether more documents or clearer answers from OpenAI and Georgia Power emerge will help determine how quickly local fights over power, water and tax deals move from town halls to formal approvals.
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