OpenAI has announced new commitments to the communities where it is developing data center projects, the infrastructure that hosts the servers needed to train and run its AI models. Among these is the abandonment of confidentiality agreements, known as NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), with public officials. This announcement comes after the US midterm elections, during which, according to the source, voters expressed opposition to the expansion of data centers.
- OpenAI stops using confidentiality agreements with public officials for its data center projects.
- The company keeps only narrow protections for security, trade secrets, and sensitive information.
- OpenAI will pay the full cost of its electricity and the infrastructure it needs.
- Each future compute campus will have a local compact reflecting community priorities.
Several data center projects have been criticized for using these agreements to conceal exchanges between developers and local officials. OpenAI now states it will only allow “narrow protections covering legitimate security information, trade secrets, or proprietary or competitively sensitive information.” In October, Amazon had already announced it would no longer use NDAs with government agencies it works with on data center projects.
Electricity, Jobs, and a “Local Compact”
OpenAI’s other commitments concern costs and benefits for the regions. The company states it will pay “the full cost” of the electricity it consumes, as well as “the necessary infrastructure to serve us.” It also plans to publish the jobs it intends to create and report on its hiring, aiming, it says, to provide opportunities for local communities.
OpenAI also refers to its data centers as “compute campuses,” an expression it uses to replace the traditional term. Each future “compute campus” it owns and operates will have a “local compact.” This document will outline the commitments made by the company and reflect local “priorities,” OpenAI specifies.
