One signal

OpenAI has trained small-business owners in Effingham County, Georgia, as it prepares a planned $20bn data centre there. One participant told WTOC that the training and answers to community questions had made him more optimistic, after neighbours initially voiced concerns.

The event is part of OpenAI’s effort to engage the community, the company told WTOC. The report also says OpenAI and Effingham County announced a $2m grant for a walking and cycling trail system at Atlas Park. That is a snapshot of local views, not evidence that residents broadly support the project. But it shows how companies are trying to turn community engagement into part of the data-centre build-out. The questions about water and electricity have not gone away just because one business owner is feeling better about the answers.

Discuss: Should companies building major data centres have to show measurable local benefits, such as infrastructure funding, before communities are asked to accept the costs?

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