OpenAI drops NDAs with officials for its data center projects

OpenAI is done hiding its data center deals behind closed doors. The company says it will no longer ask public officials to sign non-disclosure agreements tied to its data center projects, part of a fresh set of commitments to the communities hosting them.

The timing is no accident. The announcement lands right after this week's midterms, where voters made their feelings about data center expansion loud and clear, according to The Verge.

NDAs have been a sore spot in the data center boom. Projects across the country have drawn heat for leaning on them to keep talks between developers and local officials out of public view, leaving residents in the dark about what's coming to their towns.

OpenAI is narrowing the window considerably. The company says it will allow only narrow protections covering legitimate security information, trade secrets, or proprietary or competitively sensitive information — which leaves much less room to cloak a zoning chat or a land deal.

The move follows Amazon, which announced a comparable step back in October. Two of the biggest players in the AI infrastructure land grab now say the secrecy playbook is out.

What happens next is a test of follow-through. Watch whether other hyperscalers match the pledge — and whether local governments now push for the transparency OpenAI says it's offering.