OpenAI said it will cover electricity and grid infrastructure costs for future company-owned data centers, disclose environmental impacts and involve communities earlier in project planning. #
OpenAI has promised to pay the full electricity costs of its future company-owned data centers, stop using most nondisclosure agreements with public officials and give local communities a greater say in how the facilities are built. The commitments were released Thursday, just two days after Americans voted overwhelmingly for candidates opposing the restricting of data center development.
The company also wants federal, state and local governments to introduce similar requirements for the wider industry, which has been facing growing opposition over electricity bills, water consumption and the sheer scale of new AI infrastructure projects.
Under its new National Community Compact and Compute Campus Policy Blueprint, OpenAI said it will publish construction plans, disclose how much electricity and water its facilities consume, and commission independent noise studies. Residents will be consulted while projects are being planned, rather than only after construction decisions have been made.
The ban on nondisclosure agreements with public officials is not absolute. OpenAI will continue to protect legitimate security information, trade secrets and certain commercially sensitive details.
The announcement follows a decisive rejection of data center expansion in Tuesday's midterm elections. Of the 41 local measures concerning data centers across 10 states, voters favored restrictions or rejected proposals supporting development in 40, according to election results tracked by Ballotpedia.
In California's Alhambra, voters approved a ban on data centers by roughly 82% to 18%. Residents of Edgewater, Florida, also supported a ban, while voters in Bloomington, Illinois, backed a proposal advising city officials to impose a moratorium on large facilities.
Ohio, where OpenAI is involved in a major infrastructure project, had 21 data center-related measures on Tuesday's ballot, the highest number of any state.
The election results have brought fresh attention to complaints that have been growing throughout the summer. Residents in several communities have questioned whether the jobs and economic benefits promised by technology companies justify the additional demand on local power grids, land and water supplies.
Electricity costs have become a particularly contentious issue. Building a large data center can require new substations, transmission lines and power generation, and residents worry that utilities could recover some of those expenses through higher household bills.
OpenAI's latest policy says its future company-owned and operated campuses will cover both the electricity they consume and the infrastructure needed to supply it. The company also pledged to provide financial assurances before major spending begins, protecting other utility customers if a project is delayed, reduced or canceled.
It wants state utility commissions to require other large electricity customers to do the same.
Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, told reporters during a Wednesday briefing that the proposals were based on lessons learned from the company's earlier projects.
"What we're doing with this blueprint is really laying out the best lessons that we have learned and committing to applying them as they go forward," Lehane said, according to CNBC.
Lehane said the blueprint had been under development since August and that he had discussed it with dozens of lawmakers and political candidates.
Some of OpenAI's new commitments are already being tested at its planned campus in Effingham County, Georgia, where the company has contracted for 3.2 gigawatts of electricity from Georgia Power. The project will receive power in stages between 2028 and 2032.
The company has also been putting money into local programs to gain community support. In Georgia, residents helped shape a $4.8 million grant intended to provide free school meals for 14,000 students. In Pike County, Ohio, OpenAI and SB Energy have jointly committed $6 million toward childcare, another priority identified by local families.
OpenAI's larger Ohio project is expected to create 35,000 construction jobs over six years and 2,500 longer-term operating jobs, although those are company projections rather than employment figures already achieved. SB Energy will build, own and operate that campus, with OpenAI leasing the computing capacity.
Other major AI developers have made commitments of their own. Anthropic said in February that it would cover the grid upgrades and additional electricity costs associated with its data centers, including estimated price increases caused by additional demand. Meta and Microsoft have also outlined plans addressing energy costs and community investment.
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