- OpenAI could call its data centers ‘AI compute campuses’
- Public perception is low as energy prices rise across the US
- Stargate Project is about halfway to adding 10GW by 2029
OpenAI is considering a new name for its biggest data centers as it looks to improve public perceptions of AI infrastructure amid ongoing political debate.
Instead of calling them data centers, the ChatGPT maker is considering a rebrand to ‘AI compute campuses’ to give the facilities a name which sounds more economically positive.
OpenAI hasn’t directly announced these plans, however Axios reports that the changes could come as soon as this week, following US midterm elections on November 3 2026.
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OpenAI could rename data centers to ‘AI compute campuses’
It seems that the company is anticipating major political changes and the possibility that the Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives, which would result in a more challenging regulatory environment.
OpenAI Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane told Axios that he expects AI to be an ongoing political debate beyond the midterm elections.
“Communities should hold companies responsible and accountable so they really and truly get a transformative benefit from these projects,” he added.
OpenAI has already been making efforts to win communities over, promising to partner with local communities to understand local needs. “We commit to paying our own way on energy, so that our operations don’t increase your electricity prices,” the company said at the start of 2026. Energy prices are a big sticking point for US citizens.
A May 2026 report revealed that US states could face energy price hikes of between 6% and 29% by the end of the decades, and the US is already on course to re-open disused nuclear facilities to keep up with demand.
But OpenAI’s expansions are far from over. Stargate alone is a project anticipated to add 10GW of AI compute to the US by 2029, and it’s still got just under halfway to go.
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Craig Hale
