OpenAI Vows to Cover Data Center Power Costs After Voters Reject Rapid AI Expansion

OpenAI has reaffirmed a pledge to pay the full cost of powering its data centers, part of a set of commitments the company published Thursday, two days after voters roundly rejected rapid AI expansion at the polls.

For data centers it owns and operates, OpenAI said it will seek community input, publish construction plans and avoid non-disclosure agreements with public officials. In a policy blueprint, the company urged policymakers to turn similar commitments into law.

"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," Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane told reporters at a Wednesday briefing. "This will help ensure that there is a very high floor in terms of how people move forward."

On Tuesday, Americans delivered a stinging rebuke of data centers at the ballot box. Of 41 local measures across 10 states, voters backed restrictions or rejected pro-development measures in all but one, according to an analysis by Ballotpedia and additional results gathered by CNBC.

Opposition mounted over the summer across both parties, with consumers worried the facilities could worsen environmental harm, raise utility bills and cost jobs. OpenAI depends on such data centers to serve customers and develop new models, and in February told investors it targets $600 billion in total compute spend by 2030, having since announced major projects in Georgia and Ohio.

Lehane said the blueprint has been in the works since August and that he has met with dozens of lawmakers and candidates since then. "Having these conversations now actually helps put more energy into the momentum, so that when people come back in late January, new Congress is in session, a lot of the work is being done in advance," he said.

Source: CNBC