This Month's Latest Tech News in Savannah, GA - Sunday August 31st 2025 Edition

Week's Commentary: Savannah at an AI Inflection Point - Georgia Tech's NSF‑backed Nexus project is a clear signal that Georgia is doubling down on AI infrastructure, and that momentum matters for places like Savannah as the state builds research capacity and talent pipelines; Nexus, led by Georgia Tech with support from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, promises to democratize access to cutting‑edge AI tools for U.S. researchers and to accelerate work in medicine, clean energy, and manufacturing (read the Georgia Tech $20M national AI supercomputer announcement Georgia Tech $20M national AI supercomputer announcement and NCSA's partnership brief on supporting Georgia Tech's AI venture NCSA partnership brief on supporting Georgia Tech's AI venture).

The practical takeaway for local leaders and employers: invest now in workforce training and infrastructure so Savannah can plug into high‑value research flows instead of watching them pass by.

Metric	Detail
Funding	$20 million (NSF)
AI performance	400+ quadrillion operations/sec
Memory	330 trillion bytes
Flash storage	10 quadrillion bytes (~10 billion reams of paper)
Completion	Expected spring 2026; Georgia Tech reserves 10% capacity

“This supercomputer will help level the playing field,” said Suresh Marru, principal investigator of the Nexus project and director of Georgia Tech's Center for AI in Science and Engineering (ARTISAN).

1. Georgia Tech to Build Nexus: $20M NSF‑Backed AI Supercomputer - Georgia Tech has secured a $20 million National Science Foundation award to build Nexus, an AI‑focused supercomputer designed to accelerate research in medicine, clean energy, climate science and manufacturing, and to widen access to top‑tier AI tools for researchers nationwide; the system will deliver more than 400 quadrillion operations per second, pair massive 330 trillion‑byte memory with 10 quadrillion bytes of flash storage (the project brief notes that storage equals about 10 billion reams of paper - a stack that would reach roughly 500,000 km), and is expected online by spring 2026, with Georgia Tech reserving up to 10% for campus research.

Read the Georgia Tech announcement on Nexus for details and see Fox5 Atlanta coverage of the timeline and partnerships that tie Nexus into a national research network: Georgia Tech announcement on Nexus and Fox5 Atlanta coverage of Nexus timeline and partnerships.

Metric	Detail
Funding	$20 million (NSF)
Performance	400+ quadrillion operations/sec
Memory	330 trillion bytes
Flash storage	10 quadrillion bytes (~10 billion reams of paper)
Completion	Expected spring 2026; 10% reserved for Georgia Tech

“This supercomputer will help level the playing field,” said Suresh Marru, principal investigator of the Nexus project and director of Georgia Tech's Center for AI in Science and Engineering (ARTISAN).

2. Federal Plan to Site AI Data Centers on Federal Land (including Savannah River Site) - The Department of Energy has named four initial federal locations - Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and the Savannah River Site - for a wave of AI data centers paired with new power-generation projects, part of a broader push that first identified roughly 16 candidate sites nationwide; the move aims to speed permitting and co‑locate generation options (including nuclear and other on‑site technologies) to keep grid impacts manageable, with solicitations due in the coming months and private partners potentially chosen by the end of 2025 (read the DOE announcement on the ExecutiveGov report and the DatacenterDynamics coverage of the first four sites).

Locally, Savannah River Site draws special attention: the NNSA‑operated, 310‑square‑mile site processes tritium and, as WRDW notes, “a data center footprint is very small compared to” that acreage, but any project would need a formal site‑use permit and careful coordination on security, cleanup and energy supply.

For Savannah leaders, the takeaway is clear: federal land offers fast lanes for big AI projects, but community, environmental and grid questions will shape what actually arrives.

Item	Detail
Selected sites	Idaho NL, Oak Ridge Reservation, Savannah River Site, Paducah
Purpose	AI data centers and related power generation/infrastructure
Timeline	Solicitations in coming months; partners possibly selected by end of 2025
Local note	Savannah River Site = 310 sq. miles; NNSA processes tritium; site‑use permits required

“By leveraging DOE land assets for the deployment of AI and energy infrastructure, we are taking a bold step to accelerate the next Manhattan Project - ensuring U.S. AI and energy leadership,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Department of Energy official announcement | ExecutiveGov coverage of DOE AI data center plan | DatacenterDynamics coverage of federal AI data center sites | WRDW local reporting on Savannah River Site

3. Datacenters in the Crossfire: Georgia's Edge Market and Supply‑Chain Risks - Georgia's runaway data‑center boom has pushed metro Atlanta past Northern Virginia, driven by hyperscale leases, AI compute demand and major investments such as Amazon Web Services' $11 billion expansion, but the surge is colliding with hard limits: CBRE data highlighted in a McGuireWoods briefing shows 705.8 MW of net absorption and a construction pipeline topping 2,150 MW, while utilities warn of substation constraints and multiyear transmission delays that could bottleneck new campuses; lawmakers and regulators are weighing new tariff classes and stricter incentive rules after a 2022 audit found Georgia recoups just $0.24 on the dollar for some projects (read the McGuireWoods briefing on Georgia data-center trends and the Avison Young Q2 2025 data center market overview).

Metric	Detail
Atlanta net absorption	705.8 MW
Construction pipeline	>2,150 MW
Projected water demand	68.5 million gallons/day
Vacancy (Q2 2025)	1.6%

“Legacy markets face mounting power constraints, prompting hyperscalers to diversify workloads into regions with faster power delivery. It's no longer about latency - it's about where you can scale.” - Gordon Dolven, Director of CBRE Americas Data Center Research

SCCPSS Launches "Let's Talk" - A District‑Wide Multilingual AI Chatbot: Savannah‑Chatham County Public School System has rolled out Let's Talk, a K‑12 tailored, generative AI customer‑service platform appearing as a pop‑out tab on sccpss.com that promises 24/7 access (including texting), built‑in workflow automation and translation into 13 languages so families can get help in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi and more at any hour; the board approved a $452,100, three‑year subscription during the May 7 consent agenda, and the district says the tool will speed response times, surface trends for leaders, and automatically escalate unresolved or high‑priority dialogues after two business days.

Read the SCCPSS announcement about Let's Talk and the Savannah Morning News coverage of the Let's Talk implementation for implementation details and community context.

Item	Detail
Contract cost	$452,100 (three years)
Languages	13 languages (e.g., Spanish, French, Chinese Simplified & Traditional, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Tagalog, Japanese, Hindi, German)
Availability	24/7 on SCCPSS website (Let's Talk pop‑out tab); supports texting
Escalation	Unanswered >2 business days or high priority → auto‑assigned to supervisor
Access	Let's Talk tab on sccpss.com

“Let's Talk enables our district to accommodate the communication needs and preferences of our community members with a variety of channels and translation tools, and address issues and inequities experienced by students and families,” said Dr. Denise Watts, Superintendent of Savannah‑Chatham County Public Schools.

As SCCPSS layers districtwide tools like the Let's Talk multilingual chatbot with classroom practice, leaders face a practical balancing act: promising AI tutors can amplify scarce instructional time, but they require teacher training, clear data practices, and human oversight to protect equity and integrity.

Districts nationwide are already adopting reading tutors such as Amira Learning product details - an AI suite that “listens” as students read, offers in‑the‑moment coaching, and feeds teachers actionable lesson planning (see Amira Learning product details) - and reporting from Chalkbeat reporting on AI reading tutors underscores both early gains and limits in assessing diverse speech patterns.

With independent efforts like the IES‑funded U‑GAIN Reading program and Digital Promise research underway to test generative AI for literacy, Savannah's schools should pilot thoughtfully: pair tool rollouts with training, review student recordings manually when needed, and track outcomes so technology supplements - not substitutes - educators.

A vivid benchmark to consider: Amira has listened to more than 10 billion words and reports measurable growth with less than 30 minutes a week of student time.

Metric	Amira Detail
Reach	4+ million students
Words listened	10+ billion words
Reported impact	70% faster reading growth / 7+ extra weeks in a year
Time	~30 minutes/week for accelerated growth

“AI should add to - not replace - teachers' expertise, especially regarding multilingual diversity and instructional needs.” - Yaacov Petscher

6. SAS + Unreal Engine Digital Twin Pilot at Georgia‑Pacific Savannah River Mill - SAS is pairing its Viya analytics with Epic Games' Unreal Engine to create photorealistic digital twins of Georgia‑Pacific's Savannah River Mill, letting engineers run realistic simulations of automated guided vehicles (AGVs), layout changes and rare fault scenarios without touching the live line; SAS used Epic's RealityScan to capture the plant and import detailed renderings into Unreal, and the pilot aims to cut costs and raise quality by testing fixes virtually before deployment (see the SAS press release on enhanced digital twins and the CDOTrends coverage of SAS's industrial playbook).

Early work surfaces counterintuitive wins - simulations found adding AGVs can create traffic jams and that trimming a fleet improved mission time - showing why Savannah's manufacturers should care: high‑fidelity virtual testing can unlock productivity and safety gains with minimal disruption.

Item	Detail
Pilot location	Savannah River Mill (napkins, paper towels, toilet tissue)
Technology	SAS Viya analytics + Unreal Engine (Epic)
Key tools	RealityScan photogrammetry; Viya optimization routines
Use case	Optimize AGVs, operations, safety without disrupting production
Expected outcome	Cost savings, higher quality, better operational decisions

“With the help of SAS and Unreal Engine, we can create realistic simulations of factory operations. Imagine watching AGVs navigate through a bustling factory floor, reacting to proximity alerts, obstacles and rare adverse events in real time. The powerful analysis and photorealistic simulations delivered by SAS' enhanced digital twins can enable decision making and boost output at Savannah River Mill.” - Roshan Shah, VP of AI & Products, Georgia‑Pacific

7. Savannah Technical College Expansions: Career Plus & Early‑Childhood Dual Enrollment - As regional technical colleges secure Cognia accreditation, a clear pathway opens for programs that let adults and out‑of‑school youth earn accredited high‑school diplomas while stacking college credentials; Southern Crescent Technical College's recent Cognia milestone, for example, unlocks its Career Plus academy so students “can complete their high school diploma and earn college credit certificates at the same time” (Southern Crescent Technical College Cognia accreditation announcement), and Georgia Piedmont and Chattahoochee Tech have used similar accreditation to expand Dual Achievement options that pair diplomas with technical certificates (Georgia Piedmont Technical College Cognia accreditation overview).

For Savannah, the practical opportunity is tangible: adopt the Career Plus model and targeted early‑childhood dual‑enrollment tracks to grow workforce pipelines in childcare, early‑learning tech, and human services - letting learners gain credentialed employability while finishing high school requirements in a single, career‑focused arc.

“We are excited to announce the Southern Crescent Technical College Academy. Students that have not earned a high school diploma can now attend the SCTC Academy to complete their high school diploma and earn college credit certificates at the same time. This is a great opportunity for many in our community to up-skill themselves through our Career Plus program.” - Steve Hendrix, Vice President for Adult Education, SCTC

The BIG Tide Summit returned to the Savannah Convention Center as a full‑throttle career‑development day - more than 3,000 high‑schoolers streamed in for leadership workshops, pitch labs, one‑on‑one coaching and tech certificates from Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Augusta University - and the showstopper was the Georgia AIM Mobile Studio, which “rolled in on wheels” to give students and community leaders hands‑on demos of AI in manufacturing, robotics and AR/VR that make abstract careers feel tangible.

The statewide tour, funded through a $65 million Georgia AIM initiative, intentionally targets rural communities, women, veterans and people of color so workforce pipelines broaden beyond traditional corridors; local organizers and the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) framed the day as both inspiration and practical access to mentorship, scholarships and local job pathways (see Savannah Tribune coverage and WTOC's reporting for event and attendance details).

For Savannah, the takeaway is clear: put learning where learners already are, and the next wave of makers and engineers will be local, not hired from afar. Savannah Tribune coverage of the BIG Tide Summit | WTOC report on student attendance and career pathways | Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs official website

Item	Detail
Event	3rd Annual BIG Tide Summit
Date	April 11, 2025
Location	Savannah Convention Center
Attendance	3,000+ high school students
Partners	Georgia AIM, RICE, local universities
Georgia AIM funding	$65 million statewide initiative
Highlights	AI/robotics/AR‑VR demos, pitch labs, tech certificates, scholarships

“This kind of access matters. We're bringing innovation directly to the people - rural communities, small towns, students, veterans. Not to talk at them, but to walk with them, and to make sure they're equipped for what's ahead.” - Clinton B. Vicks, Community Engagement Specialist, RICE

9. Startup Spotlight: Atlanta's Acuity Raises $1.5M for AI Behavioral‑Health Tool - Atlanta startup Acuity Behavioral Health closed a $1.5M seed round (reported April 3, 2025) led by Valor Ventures to scale its Behavioral Health Operations Intelligence (BHOI) platform and the underlying Behavioral Health Acuity Index (BHAI), a real‑time, AI‑driven toolkit that scores patient and unit acuity, forecasts next‑day staffing needs, and aims to reduce safety incidents in inpatient psychiatric settings; with a compact 2–10 person team, Acuity is pitching practical, back‑of‑house value to hospitals at a time when 1M+ Americans are hospitalized for mental‑health issues each year, and the funding will accelerate analytics, model development and clinical integrations (read the seed announcement coverage on Hypepotamus and Acuity's platform overview for details).

Metric	Detail
Funding	$1.5M
Round	Seed
Lead investor	Valor Ventures
Product	Behavioral Health Operations Intelligence (BHOI) / Behavioral Health Acuity Index (BHAI)
Focus	AI clinical support, staffing forecasts, inpatient psychiatric settings
Date reported	April 3, 2025
Team size (est.)	2–10 employees

10. Policy Watch: Georgia Senate Hearings on Social Media, AI Harms to Children - A bipartisan state Senate study committee, co‑chaired by Sen. Sally Harrell and Sen.

Shawn Still, opened a series of hearings in late August to examine how social media and AI affect kids, hearing wrenching testimony from parents (three said their children committed suicide after online trauma) and experts urging new rules on age verification, defaults, and algorithmic design; the session resurfaced the stalled Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act (SB 351), now tied up in litigation as industry groups press First Amendment and privacy claims, and lawmakers signaled more hearings through the fall (including a Sept.

17 session focused on age verification). For Savannah leaders the policy takeaway is immediate: legal uncertainty won't slow public demand for safer defaults, and any local tech or education strategy will need to track both courtroom rulings and forthcoming committee recommendations.

“We have to hold these technology companies accountable,” said Sharon Winkler, whose son wrote a note blaming online bullying before he took his own life.

Read local coverage: Local coverage of Georgia Senate social media and AI hearings and federal litigation context: Federal litigation context for Protecting Georgia's Children on Social Media Act (SB 351).

Conclusion: What Savannah Should Watch Next - Jobs, Grid, Education, and Local Leadership - Savannah sits at a crossroads where federal action, hyperscale demand, and local capacity intersect: the DOE has named the Savannah River Site among four initial federal locations for AI data centers (DOE announcement on first four AI data center sites), with solicitations coming in the months ahead and private partners potentially chosen by year‑end, and local reporting notes the SRS's 310‑square‑mile footprint means any data‑center build would be a tiny land use but require strict permits and coordination on security and cleanup (see WRDW local coverage of SRS permitting and cleanup).

At the same time Georgia's data‑center boom - roughly 160 major centers statewide and major investments such as AWS's multi‑billion dollar expansions - is reshaping the grid and local job market, while industry reporting flags that new facilities can use 10–50× the electricity of typical commercial buildings and that AI will drive a disproportionate share of future power demand.

The practical playbook for Savannah is threefold: push utilities and state partners for targeted grid upgrades and behind‑the‑meter generation; grow local tech talent through short, career‑focused training; and align economic development to capture operations and service jobs rather than only real estate rent.

One fast option for upskilling is Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work - a 15‑week, practical bootcamp to teach AI tools and prompting for workplace impact - so residents and employers can turn infrastructure promises into local hires and resilient careers.

Watchpoint	Detail
Federal sites	DOE selected Idaho NL, Oak Ridge, Paducah, and Savannah River Site (DOE announcement on first four AI data center sites)
Timeline	Solicitations in coming months; partners possibly selected by end of 2025; target operations at some DOE sites by end of 2027
Local footprint	Savannah River Site = 310 sq. miles; data‑center footprint is comparatively small but requires site‑use permits (WRDW local coverage of SRS permitting and cleanup)
State context	~160 major data centers in Georgia; hyperscale investments (e.g., AWS multi‑billion projects) driving demand and jobs
Energy risk	Data centers can use 10–50× typical commercial electricity; industry warns of transmission and generation constraints
Workforce action	Register for Nucamp AI Essentials for Work (15-week bootcamp)

“By leveraging DOE land assets for the deployment of AI and energy infrastructure, we are taking a bold step to accelerate the next Manhattan Project - ensuring US AI and energy leadership.” - Energy Secretary Chris Wright