OpenAI's data center community compact

OpenAI published a National Community Compact and Compute Campus Policy Blueprint on November 5, 2026, committing every future compute campus it owns and operates to pay its own electricity and grid costs, report water and electricity use publicly, avoid non-disclosure agreements with public officials, publish expected job creation figures, and post financial guarantees in case a project is cancelled. The compact establishes a national baseline while requiring a locally tailored version at each campus. OpenAI also commits to engaging residents early through surveys and listening sessions, providing a local point of contact throughout each campus's life, and publishing annual public reports on progress. The companion blueprint proposes that governments codify these practices as rules for all operators, with large power users required to cover the grid costs they add; campuses could connect to the grid faster by agreeing to cut demand at peak times. The compact's commitments are not described as legally binding. These announcements came within days of midterm elections where voters pushed back on data center development. Prior to the compact, OpenAI had rebranded its data centers as 'AI compute campuses' as part of a policy push, with the initiative timed for the lame-duck session after the midterms. Separately, OpenAI launched the Grid Protectors Program to work with utilities to curtail power at future campuses during grid stress. The first deal, with Georgia Power, allows cuts of up to 1,000 MW from OpenAI's planned Effingham County campus during demand peaks such as heat waves. Even at maximum curtailment, the campus would still draw around 2,200 MW of its roughly 3,200 MW total need. The Effingham County campus is a $30 billion project expected to launch in 2028; local residents staged protests against it during summer 2026. OpenAI also committed to funding local community priorities, citing a $4.8 million school meals grant in Georgia.