OpenAI published two documents on November 5, 2026 that set out how it intends to build and run its U.S. data centers: a National Community Compact for the communities where it will construct new "compute campuses," and a Compute Campus Policy Blueprint aimed at federal, state, and local policymakers.

The most concrete of the new commitments is a pledge that OpenAI will not use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with public officials. The company said it will allow "only narrow protections covering legitimate security information, trade secrets, or proprietary or competitively sensitive information." OpenAI

The Commitments

Every future compute campus OpenAI owns and operates will have its own local compact. The company says it will engage residents early enough for their input to shape project plans, assign a local point of contact for the life of the campus, and report publicly on its performance each year. OpenAI

Three commitments apply to all of them:

  • Pay for energy and infrastructure. OpenAI says it will pay the full cost of the electricity it uses and the infrastructure needed to serve it, and will provide financial assurances before major spending begins so other customers are protected if a project is delayed, reduced, or canceled.
  • Protect local resources and report impact. Each campus will have a water plan, with a preference for closed-loop or low-water cooling. OpenAI will publish site-level water and electricity use, and release construction plans and independent noise studies before operations begin and annually afterward. This is the commitment that includes the NDA policy above.
  • Create opportunities for local workers and businesses. OpenAI will publish the jobs it expects to create, work with unions and training providers to prepare residents, and report annually on hiring and apprenticeships.

The Policy Blueprint

The compact is voluntary; the blueprint asks policymakers to make similar protections standard. It calls on state utility commissions to require large electricity customers to cover the costs they add to the grid and to protect other customers if a project falls through. OpenAI

It also proposes that utilities make it easier for campuses to connect if they can cut demand when power is scarce. At its planned Effingham County, Georgia campus, OpenAI's agreement with Georgia Power lets the utility reduce the power it delivers to OpenAI by up to 1,000 megawatts during periods of high demand. On the federal side, the blueprint asks Congress to speed transmission upgrades and to restore and expand tax incentives for clean electricity.

The blueprint also pushes for public reporting on water, energy, noise, and hiring; narrow limits on when developers can require public officials to sign NDAs; and public tax-incentive terms with measurable commitments and a way to recover benefits if a developer falls short.

Context

This announcement builds on work OpenAI began in January with its Stargate Community commitments to pay its own way on energy and to shape plans around local priorities, which it followed with site-specific deals in Georgia and Ohio. OpenAI

Those local efforts have already produced concrete results. In Effingham County, Georgia, residents helped shape a $4.8 million grant to provide free school meals for all 14,000 students in the county, while in Pike County, Ohio, a joint $6 million commitment from OpenAI and SB Energy is directed at childcare.

The NDA pledge arrives as data-center projects face growing scrutiny over NDAs used in negotiations with local officials. The Verge notes the announcement followed this week's midterms, in which voters voiced opposition to data-center expansion.

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