Savannah hits pause on data centers after OpenAI's Effingham proposal

Sept. 1, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET

• The Savannah City Council has approved a 155-day moratorium on large-scale data centers.
• This pause allows the city time to develop zoning classifications and study the infrastructure impact of such facilities.
• The move follows OpenAI's announcement of a major data center in nearby Effingham County.

Georgia's artificial intelligence infrastructure boom won't be coming to Savannah anytime soon.

Savannah City Council approved Thursday a 155-day moratorium on large scale data centers, a move intended to give the city time to craft local policy regulating the use. The moratorium comes on the heels of OpenAI’s late July announcement of a large data center planned for Effingham County—the first of its kind in Coastal Georgia.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the rapid pace of data center proposals in Georgia and across the country sparked the need for the city to begin addressing the issue. Council's approval of the moratorium was unanimous.

“Herein lies an opportunity for us to put the pause button on and really come up with thoughtful, responsible policy,” Johnson said.

Currently, the city is without an established framework for dealing with these large-scale data centers sprouting throughout the state.