OpenAI Reaffirms Data Center Power Pledge in New Policy Blueprint

OpenAI restated its commitment to cover the power costs for data centers it owns and operates on Nov. 5, while publishing new community and transparency measures amid growing resistance to large AI facilities.

Under the new commitments, the company plans to seek input from communities near its projects and make construction plans public. It also pledged not to use nondisclosure agreements with public officials. The blueprint encourages policymakers to make comparable obligations part of law, and OpenAI said it will apply its commitments to company-owned and operated sites going forward.

The release followed Nov. 3 local votes on data-center proposals, after opposition to the facilities grew over the summer. Residents and consumers raised concerns about electricity bills, environmental effects and potential job losses.

OpenAI depends on data centers to serve customers and develop new models. It has announced projects in Georgia and Ohio. In February, the company told investors it was targeting $600 billion in total compute spending by 2030, as AI companies seek to add capacity to meet demand.

OpenAI had made ratepayer protection and community investment pledges earlier in the year. Meta, Microsoft, Google and Anthropic have outlined similar measures. Amazon has also described plans addressing power costs, public disclosures and nondisclosure agreements for its data center projects.

Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, said at a Nov. 4 briefing that the blueprint captures lessons from previous work and commits the company to applying them to future projects. “This will help ensure that there is a very high floor in terms of how people move forward,” Lehane said.

Lehane said the policy work began in August and that he had spoken with dozens of lawmakers and candidates. He said the discussions were intended to build momentum before lawmakers returned in late January, when the new Congress would already be in session.

At its planned Georgia site, OpenAI had also agreed to let Georgia Power reduce the campus’s grid draw by up to 1,000 megawatts during periods of system strain under an earlier Georgia campus agreement. OpenAI has said demand reductions cannot replace investment in power generation and transmission.