OpenAI sets National Community Compact for its compute campuses

OpenAI frames the announcement as a continuation of work that began in January, when it announced Stargate Community commitments to pay its own way on energy and to develop plans shaped by local priorities. Specific commitments in Georgia and Ohio followed, covering energy costs, water use, local investment and accountability, and the company says it gathered input from residents, local leaders, schools and businesses along the way. The new compact generalizes that approach: each future campus OpenAI owns and operates gets its own local compact, with a common set of commitments layered on top of local priorities.

The blueprint portion goes beyond what OpenAI can bind itself to. It asks federal, state and local policymakers to establish clear rules for how the industry builds, starting with who pays for power: state utility commissions should require large electricity customers to cover the costs they add to the grid and protect other customers if a project falls through. It also calls for public reporting on water, energy, noise and hiring, narrow limits on NDAs for public officials, and public terms with measurable commitments when tax incentives are offered. OpenAI's own site-level promises — financial assurances before major spending, annual public reporting, no NDAs with public officials beyond narrow security and trade-secret protections — are presented as a starting point that voluntary action alone may not be enough to secure across the industry.