These new pledges come after Americans rebuked the explosion of data centers in local elections this week.
OpenAI has pledged to conserve resources and be more transparent, just after Americans had overwhelmingly voted against data centers in the midterms. The company has published a National Community Compact, which details what people can expect from its future data centers. It has also released a Compute Campus Policy Blueprint, which proposes policies to give communities a voice and protect them from new costs if a development is built where they live.
In its announcement, OpenAI vowed once again not to let its data center operations affect the electricity costs of nearby communities. It claims it will pay the full cost of the electricity it uses and the infrastructure buildouts and upgrades power providers need to serve its facilities. A major concern among people worried about data centers is that power providers could pass on the cost of expensive infrastructure upgrades and massive power spikes to residents and local businesses.
The company has also pledged to protect local resources and to develop a water plan for the communities where it’s building its facilities. It said it will prioritize closed-loop or low-water cooling, wherein the water circulates through a sealed circuit to absorb and remove heat without being consumed. That means the company doesn’t have to replenish the system’s water content regularly.
In addition, it promised more transparency. OpenAI said it will publish water and electricity use for each site and will not sign non-disclosure agreements with public officials. Finally, it said it will create jobs for local workers and businesses.
According to Bloomberg, OpenAI said it has been working on these updates for months and had planned them before the election results came out. Whether that’s true or not, the election outcome shows people clearly want more oversight of these facilities. Americans had voted in favor of 39 measures to restrict data centers in some form, according to Data Centers on the Ballot. Plus, several Democrats who are outspoken critics of AI expansion won seats, proposing federal regulations to control data center activities.
