OpenAI publishes its data-center compact

OpenAI says this builds on work begun in January with its Stargate Community commitments to pay its own way on energy and develop plans shaped by local priorities. It says it followed with site-specific commitments in Georgia and Ohio covering energy costs, water use, local investment, and accountability.

OpenAI says the compact sets out what communities can expect at future campuses it owns and operates, with a local compact for each site.

In its community compact, OpenAI says it has committed $80 million to community priorities in Effingham County, Georgia, including a $4.8 million grant for free school meals for all 14,000 students in the county and $2 million for a local park. OpenAI’s policy blueprint says proceeds from the project land sale, combined with a separate state grant, could reduce 2026 property-tax bills by about 30% for qualifying homeowners, according to the county tax commissioner. OpenAI also says its agreement with Georgia Power lets the utility cut power delivered to the campus by up to 1,000 megawatts during high demand, and that it is contracting with Georgia Power for 3.2 gigawatts delivered in phases between 2028 and 2032.

In Pike County, Ohio, OpenAI says the commitment is $40 million, including a joint $6 million childcare pledge with developer SB Energy. OpenAI’s blueprint says the Pike County campus is expected to create 2,500 long-term operating jobs with average annual salaries of $80,000, and 26,000 construction jobs. OpenAI says that in July it voided NDAs in Effingham and will not require public officials to sign them going forward, except in narrow cases covering security information, trade secrets, or competitively sensitive information.

On November 1, Axios reported that OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane said the company planned a post-midterm policy effort that would include community compacts and a push to describe the facilities as “AI compute campuses.” Axios quoted Lehane saying the midterms were “a bit of a movie trailer” for 2028 and that “AI is going to be the issue in 2028.” On November 2, OpenAI announced Grid Protectors, which it describes as a program for agreements that let future campuses cut electricity demand during grid stress.

Engadget, citing the Data Centers on the Ballot tracker, reported that voters had backed 39 local measures restricting data centers in some form. Silicon Report, citing Ballotpedia and CNBC data, reported that voters approved restrictions or defeated pro-development measures in 40 of 41 local contests. Silicon Report also quoted Lehane saying OpenAI began drafting the blueprint in August 2026. Bloomberg, as cited by Engadget, reported that OpenAI said the updates had been planned before the election results.

OpenAI published both documents on November 5. According to OpenAI, every future campus it owns and operates will have its own local compact: residents engaged early enough to shape plans, a local point of contact for the life of the campus, and a public report each year. The commitments: pay the full cost of the electricity used and the infrastructure needed to serve the site, with financial assurances posted before major spending so other customers are not left with the bill if a project is delayed, reduced, or canceled; a water plan for each campus, closed-loop or low-water cooling prioritized, and site-level water and electricity use published; construction plans and independent noise studies published before operations begin and every year after; no NDAs with public officials, except narrow protections for security information, trade secrets, or competitively sensitive information; and published job expectations, work with unions and training providers, and annual reports on hiring and apprenticeships.

OpenAI’s blueprint asks federal, state, and local policymakers to set industry-wide rules. It says state utility commissions should require large electricity customers to cover the grid costs they add, and that utilities should make it easier for campuses to connect if they can cut demand when power is scarce. It says Congress should speed up transmission upgrades and restore and expand clean-electricity tax incentives. It also says tax-incentive terms should be public, with measurable commitments and a way to recover benefits if a developer falls short.