OpenAI pledges to pay for data center power after election rejection

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 6 Nov, 00:47 · Archive

OpenAI has committed to paying for data center electricity costs after voters rejected AI facility expansion in this week's elections.

OpenAI has published a series of commitments on data centre development following this week's midterm elections, where voters rejected nearly all local measures supporting AI facility expansion. Out of 41 ballot measures across ten states, voters backed restrictions or rejected pro-development proposals for all but one.

The company's National Community Compact and Compute Campus Policy Blueprint detail commitments to communities where it builds facilities. OpenAI pledged to pay the full cost of electricity it consumes and all infrastructure upgrades power providers need to serve its operations, preventing cost increases to local residents and businesses. The company also committed to protecting local water resources by prioritising closed-loop or low-water cooling systems that recirculate water without consuming it, and to publishing water and electricity use figures for each site.

On transparency, OpenAI said it will solicit community input around data centres, publish construction plans, and refrain from signing non-disclosure agreements with public officials—though it will maintain 'narrow protections covering legitimate security information, trade secrets, or proprietary or competitively sensitive information'. In October, Amazon made a similar commitment to cease using NDAs with government agencies on data centre projects.

The company also committed to creating job opportunities for local workers and businesses, publishing expected employment figures and reporting on actual hiring. OpenAI says its new commitments were developed over months before this week's election results, though the company's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane framed them as 'laying out the best lessons that we have learned' and encouraging policymakers to enact similar commitments as law.

How it is being reported

• OpenAI is stepping back from NDAs for data center projectsFollowing this week's midterms where voters resoundingly voiced their opposition to data center expansion, OpenAI today announced new commitments to communities where it is working on data center projects, including that it won't use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with public officials. Many data center projects have come under scrutiny for relying on NDAs to hide discussions […]The Verge · 6 Nov, 00:37
• OpenAI says it will protect local resources and report on the impact of its data centersOpenAI claims its new pledges were in the works before Americans voted strongly against the data center boom.Engadget · 5 Nov, 12:37
• OpenAI pledges to pay for data center power after election highlights AI concernsOpenAI pledged to solicit community input around AI data centers, publish construction plans and protect ratepayers.CNBC · 5 Nov, 10:00

In this story: OpenAI · Amazon · Chris Lehane

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log