OpenAI Drops NDAs With Public Officials on Data Center Projects
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, said it will not use non-disclosure agreements with public officials on data center projects. It also pledged to pay the full cost of its electricity and to publish expected job numbers.
OpenAI, the US artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, announced on November 6 new commitments to the communities where it is building data centers. The central pledge is that it will not use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which bar parties from revealing what was discussed, with public officials.
The announcement follows this week's US midterm elections. The Verge reports that voters in them clearly voiced opposition to data center expansion.
Why NDAs drew scrutiny
Many data center projects have been criticized for using NDAs to conceal talks between developers and local officials. OpenAI says it will now allow only narrow protections covering legitimate security information, trade secrets, or proprietary or competitively sensitive information. In October, Amazon said it would stop using NDAs with government agencies on its data center projects.
Other commitments
OpenAI pledged to pay "the full cost" of the electricity it uses and the infrastructure needed to serve it. It will also publish the number of jobs it expects to create and report on its hiring.
Every future "compute campus", the company's term for a data center that it owns and operates, will have a "local compact". The document will include these commitments and reflect "local priorities", according to OpenAI.
