{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-and-anthropic-reportedly-seek-2030-mw-data-centers-as-gigawatt","json":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-and-anthropic-reportedly-seek-2030-mw-data-centers-as-gigawatt.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-and-anthropic-reportedly-seek-2030-mw-data-centers-as-gigawatt.md","slug":"openai-and-anthropic-reportedly-seek-2030-mw-data-centers-as-gigawatt","headline":"OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly seek 20‑30 MW data centers as gigawatt projects lag","summary":"OpenAI and Anthropic are reportedly scrambling to secure existing data centers with about 20‑30 MW of capacity, according to a September 18 CNBC report. The move aims to provide immediate inference power while their multi‑gigawatt campuses – such as Anthropic’s roughly $45 billion, 460 MW deal with Nscale in West Virginia and OpenAI’s Stargate projects that have already passed a 10 GW target plus 3 GW in Georgia and 8 GW in Ohio – remain under construction.\n\nBoth firms say smaller sites can be deployed faster, avoid local opposition that blocked 45 U.S. data‑center projects worth $68 billion in Q2 2026, and suit workloads that can be spread across multiple locations. OpenAI’s spokesperson emphasized a diversified compute portfolio based on performance, reliability, timing and cost. Anthropic declined to comment on the smaller‑facility talks, which are also being explored in the Nordics and the United Kingdom.","keyPoints":["OpenAI and Anthropic are reportedly looking at 20‑30 MW existing data centers for immediate AI inference capacity.","Anthropic reportedly signed a $45 billion deal with Nscale for 460 MW in West Virginia.","In Q2 2026, U.S. local opposition blocked 45 data‑center projects worth $68 billion, prompting firms to favor smaller sites."],"whyItMatters":"Securing 20‑30 MW sites lets OpenAI and Anthropic meet immediate inference demand while gigawatt‑scale campuses take years, influencing compute pricing, regional data‑center markets, and the speed of AI service rollout.","category":{"slug":"hardware","name":"Hardware & Compute","url":"https://digestai.news/category/hardware"},"entities":{"companies":["Anthropic","OpenAI","Nscale","Structure Research"],"models":[],"people":["Jabez Tan"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-22T09:30:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-22T09:30:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"Tom's Hardware","title":"OpenAI and Anthropic scramble for smaller data centers as massive gigawatt projects lag — 20-30 MW facilities to provide capacity as mega structures undergo construction","url":"https://tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/openai-and-anthropic-are-reportedly-seeking-out-smaller-data-center-deals-to-meet-current-demand-20-30-mw-facilities-to-provide-capacity-as-mega-structures-undergo-construction","publishedAt":"2026-09-22T09:30:00Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":{"title":"AI Giants Race Toward Massive Infrastructure and Market Entry","url":"https://digestai.news/thread/openai-and-anthropic-are-reportedly-exploring-20-30-mw-ai-compute-clusters-in","storyCount":2},"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly seek 20‑30 MW data centers as gigawatt projects lag\", 22 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/openai-and-anthropic-reportedly-seek-2030-mw-data-centers-as-gigawatt","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly seek 20‑30 MW data centers as gigawatt projects lag","datePublished":"2026-09-22T09:30:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/openai-and-anthropic-reportedly-seek-2030-mw-data-centers-as-gigawatt"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}