What OpenAI promises
In its National Community Compact and Policy Blueprint, OpenAI set out voluntary commitments and proposed extending them across the industry. The company says the rules apply to future data centers that it owns and operates itself. That leaves out some infrastructure built by partners.
In negotiations with local authorities, OpenAI promises it will no longer require nondisclosure agreements. Exceptions remain for trade secrets, security matters and information that is competitively sensitive. The company also says it will cover the full cost of electricity and grid upgrades, limit consumption at peak times, and publish construction plans, noise studies and water-use data.
OpenAI’s head of policy, Chris Lehane, is also making the economic case. He says the sites will not be closed facilities: regular equipment replacement will create permanent jobs. In Ohio, the company promises 2,500 jobs. In Georgia, OpenAI points to local contributions of $4.8 million for school meals. Against the backdrop of more than $30 billion in planned projects in the state, that amount looks more symbolic than substantial.
Voters are slowing data center construction
OpenAI’s announcement came two days after the US midterm elections, which also expressed discontent with the technology industry. Residents voted against new data centers in 40 of 41 local votes. Democrats won majorities not only in Congress but also in gubernatorial races in states important to infrastructure projects, including Texas, Georgia and Ohio.
Texas’s new governor, Gina Hinojosa, has already called for an immediate halt to construction of new facilities. According to research group Data Center Watch, 45 projects worth a total of $88 billion were halted in the second quarter of 2026 because of local opposition. Lehane acknowledged that delays could affect OpenAI projects too.
The election results had different effects on publicly traded companies tied to AI. Shares in specialized data center operators Hut 8, IREN and Core Scientific fell 23%, 11% and 10%, respectively, as investors worried about tighter permitting rules. Large technology companies, by contrast, rose: Microsoft gained 6.7%, Amazon 6.1% and Alphabet 3.2%. Investors are betting that slower construction will curb these companies’ rapidly growing infrastructure costs and give them an advantage over smaller competitors, since they already have large data centers.
How the election affected Elon Musk’s plans
Elon Musk was one of the election’s major losers. According to Politico, he spent a record $446 million backing Republican candidates, including more than $200 million in Texas. Almost all the politicians he supported lost.
The results have called Musk’s plans to expand his own data centers in Texas into question. He considers the state his home. SpaceX shares fell 3.9%, while Tesla shares fell 3.3%. Musk responded to the defeat on X by pointing to his plans for space infrastructure: he said data centers in space now look more attractive.
Dataist’s take: OpenAI’s voluntary rules respond to growing opposition to data center construction, but for now they cover only sites the company owns and operates itself. The scale of the delays and the US votes show that local consent could become as practical a constraint on the industry as infrastructure costs.
Daily AI news
Every day we pick what actually matters in AI and explain it plainly — no hype, no filler. Subscribe if you want to follow where the industry is going.
Only what matters — every day
Follow on X