OpenAI published a policy blueprint and community commitments on Thursday, promising to pay the full cost of powering data centers and avoid non-disclosure agreements with public officials following voter opposition at the polls.
The artificial intelligence company announced its new posture just days after voters across the United States rejected rapid infrastructure expansion. In midterm exit polls, 56 percent of voters cited AI data centers as a crucial or major factor in their congressional voting decisions, according to Datacenterdynamics. Out of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states, voters backed restrictions or rejected pro-development measures for all but one, as analyzed by CNBC.
OpenAI Commits to Full Energy Costs and Banned NDAs
Under the new policy blueprint and social commitments released on Thursday, OpenAI promised that every future compute campus it owns and operates will solicit community input, publish construction plans, and eliminate non-disclosure agreements with local government officials. Exceptions to the NDA ban apply only to legitimate security information, trade secrets, or competitively sensitive details, Datacenterdynamics reported.
The company also pledged to pay our own way on energy and infrastructure,
covering the full cost of electricity used by its facilities, developing site-specific water plans and independent noise studies, and making sustained investments in projects selected by local residents, according to Yahoo coverage. Beyond supply costs, OpenAI backed allowing utilities to reduce power to data centers during periods of peak grid demand, alongside implementing closed-loop cooling systems that consume less water, as Yahoo noted.
The company published a Compute Campus Policy and a National Community Compact laying out its vision for facilities. However, it only covers sites owned and operated by OpenAI, leaving it unconfirmed whether this includes the majority of compute it leases or develops with partners. For its owned and operated facilities, OpenAI promised to listen and learn by giving residents clear, regular opportunities to provide input in project development throughout the life of each campus.
Chief Global Affairs Officer Outlines Best Lessons Learned
OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane explained the rationale behind the framework during a Wednesday press briefing, stating that the company spent months consulting with lawmakers and candidates ahead of the congressional session.
“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,” OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane told reporters during a Wednesday briefing. “This will help ensure that there is a very high floor in terms of how people move forward.”
Chris Lehane, OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer
Lehane added that the policy initiative has been under development since August. The outreach aims to prepare legislative ground for when the new Congress convenes in late January, according to CNBC.
Wall Street and Analysts React to Relentless Development Pressure
The political backlash follows a period of aggressive building by tech firms seeking to meet massive computing demands. In February, OpenAI told investors it is targeting $600 billion in total compute spend by 2030, according to CNBC, driving large-scale projects in Georgia and Ohio. New Democratic governors set to take power in Texas and Georgia have pledged to pause new data center construction in reaction to public outcry.
Jefferies analysts wrote in a note following the midterm results that Construction starts in the past couple of years have been relentless, and sometimes reckless, while a growing percentage of the population grew uneasy and untrusting of all the development,
as cited by Yahoo. In response to public friction over the facilities, OpenAI has also worked to rebrand the structures as compute campuses,
according to Yahoo and Datacenterdynamics.
Earlier coverage: Voters Reject Data Center Expansion in Landmark Election Results