OpenAI Promises to Pay for Power and Drop NDAs at Its Data Centres After Midterm Backlash

The pledges are set out in a National Community Compact. A second document, the Compute Campus Policy Blueprint, asks state, local and federal policymakers to turn similar commitments into law for every developer. "New policy is required to establish trust and confidence between communities, elected officials and companies," the company said.

The timing matters for a company that, according to CNBC, told investors in February it planned about $600 billion of total compute spending by 2030. Of 41 local ballot measures on data centres in 10 states on November 3, voters supported restrictions or rejected pro-development proposals in all but one, according to a CNBC tally based on Ballotpedia data. In an ABC News voter poll, about three-quarters of House voters said they opposed new data centre construction in their own communities.

Under the compact, OpenAI says it will ask for community input on projects, publish construction plans and give clearer information on noise, water and energy use. Each site will get its own water plan to "protect local resources". The company will make what it calls "sustainable investments" in neighbouring communities, such as funding for free school lunches or childcare, and will work with local training providers so that residents can get jobs on its projects. According to ABC News, the limit on non-disclosure agreements has narrow exceptions for security and trade secrets. No dollar amounts were given for the local investments.

"The communities that host this infrastructure should have a clear say in shaping their futures, too," OpenAI said.

Chris Lehane, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer, told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday that the blueprint was about "laying out the best lessons that we have learned and committing to applying them as they go forward." He said it would "help ensure that there is a very high floor in terms of how people move forward". He said work on the document began in August and that he had met dozens of lawmakers and candidates. OpenAI wants it ready "so that when people come back in late January, new Congress is in in session, a lot of the work is being done in advance," he said.

The compact applies only to campuses OpenAI owns and operates. A large share of the computing capacity it relies on is built and run by partners. One example is the joint OpenAI and Oracle project in Saline, Michigan, which drew local opposition over its effects on the power grid and water supply, ABC News reported, citing Reuters. Meta, Microsoft, Google and Anthropic have published similar commitments, according to CNBC.

The political pressure is growing. Democrats will control both chambers of Congress in January and have promised AI hearings. Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has backed a moratorium on new data centre construction and an end to the industry's tax breaks. In an essay published alongside the announcements, Lehane wrote that AI will be the "number-one issue of the 2028 presidential election."

OpenAI said it will report publicly on its progress against the commitments. It has not said how often it will report or who will check that the commitments are met.