OpenAI courts communities with voluntary AI data center rules

openai is launching a charm offensive with new voluntary commitments for its data centers, including covering grid costs and more transparency on resource usage. this move comes after us voters rejected new data centers in 40 out of 41 local ballot measures and projects in states like texas face tough new hurdles. openai's policy chief chris lehane is pitching economic benefits, promising 2,500 positions for ohio and local payments like $4.8 million for school lunches in georgia. the company's voluntary pledges apply to future sites it owns and operates itself, but not to infrastructure built and held by partners like oracle.