OpenAI steps back from NDAs for data center projects
OpenAI has announced new commitments for communities hosting its data center projects, responding to growing public opposition to large-scale data center expansion. The company says it will no longer use broad non-disclosure agreements with public officials, a practice that has drawn scrutiny because it can prevent the public from seeing discussions between developers and local authorities. Instead, OpenAI says any confidentiality provisions will be narrowly limited to legitimate security information, trade secrets, and proprietary or competitively sensitive business information. Amazon made a similar announcement in October, saying it would stop using NDAs with government agencies involved in its data center projects.
The commitments also state that OpenAI will pay the full cost of the electricity its facilities consume, as well as the infrastructure needed to serve them. To make the local economic impact more transparent, the company plans to publish the jobs it expects each project to create and report on its hiring. Every future “compute campus” — OpenAI’s term for the data centers it owns and operates — will also be governed by a local compact. These agreements are intended to include the company’s commitments while reflecting the priorities of each community.
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