OpenAI starts calling data centers “compute campuses”

OpenAI has started using the term “compute campus” for its data centers while announcing the Grid Protectors Program, which will begin at an upcoming site in Effingham County, Georgia. The initiative promises that the company will pay for the costs it creates and help communities keep the power on, especially during emergencies and extreme weather. In the announcement, “compute campus” appears far more often than “data center,” and OpenAI says its new facilities differ from those built a few years ago because they allow flexibility in power demand.

The Verge says the terminology appears to be new for OpenAI and reports that Axios had previously reported plans to rename the sites “AI compute campuses” as part of a policy and public-relations effort. Holly Elmore of PauseAI US and Abre’ Conner of the NAACP told The Verge that changing the name would not reduce environmental impacts or harm to local health, the environment and resources.