OpenAI will continue investing in artificial intelligence data centers following the November 3 US midterm elections, which saw voters support tighter limits on many proposed facilities. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said the company still needs more computing capacity to serve customers and develop its AI services.
Speaking to CNBC on November 6 at a technology conference in California, Friar said OpenAI would keep raising capital and working with cloud providers to meet demand. She said the election results had not materially changed its plans, although the company would need to engage more closely with communities where it wants to build data centers.
Asked whether the vote had changed OpenAI's approach, Friar said, “I don't think there was something that dramatically changed for us.” She acknowledged concerns about electricity, water use and noise. The company plans to work with residents on these issues while continuing its search for sites and computing capacity.
Ballotpedia reported that voters favored limits on data center development in 40 of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states on November 3. The results included full bans, temporary construction limits and rejected proposals that would have supported new facilities. Residents and campaigners raised questions about electricity prices, land use, water demand and local jobs.
On November 5, OpenAI published commitments covering future data centers that it owns and operates. The company pledged to pay the full cost of its electricity and the related infrastructure. It also said it would provide financial guarantees before major spending begins to protect other electricity customers if projects are delayed, reduced or canceled.
The company plans to publish site-level figures on electricity and water use, along with construction plans and independent noise studies. It will also disclose expected jobs and report on hiring. OpenAI said it would stop using nondisclosure agreements with public officials except for limited cases involving security or protected commercial information.
The commitments do not apply automatically to every facility operated by OpenAI's partners. Instead, they cover future campuses under the company's ownership and operation. Friar said local engagement would remain part of its expansion efforts as communities call for greater oversight of large computing projects.
OpenAI has secured USD 11 billion in an initial portion of a new funding round that values the company at USD 1.25 trillion, a person familiar with the deal reported on November 6. The company could seek another USD 9 billion. However, the latest valuation is below the USD 1.5 trillion level it had initially sought, according to investors familiar with the talks.
Friar said OpenAI's business grew 70% from the previous quarter during the third quarter, while enterprise business doubled. She maintained that “The demand for AI is real.” She also said the company would continue examining a possible stock market listing in 2027, without giving a firm date.
OpenAI's data center plans also involve South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. Both companies announced memory-chip partnerships for the Stargate AI infrastructure initiative in October 2025. Their agreements focus on expanding advanced memory supply and exploring additional computing facilities in South Korea.
In its October announcement, OpenAI said the companies planned to increase production of advanced memory chips. It also signed agreements to study data center development with South Korean government and business partners. Those agreements concern future projects, not completed facilities.
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