CNBC's MacKenzie Sigalos reports on OpenAI's plans to build out a new data center.

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

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OpenAI has been quietly evaluating over 800 proposals for new data center locations since the beginning of the year, seeking sites to support its next generation of supercomputing infrastructure. The company, led by infrastructure head Keith Hyde, is focusing on power availability and community acceptance rather than tax breaks or corporate incentives. OpenAI has already launched a solar-powered campus in Central Texas and is considering other sites that could use gas and nuclear energy, including advanced reactors and early-stage fusion.

The expansion has raised concerns in some communities about potential increases in energy costs and environmental impacts, such as water shortages. Some municipalities, like St. Louis, have even considered moratoriums on new data center approvals due to these concerns. OpenAI is keeping the locations under consideration confidential, citing varying levels of community support and opposition.

Inside OpenAI's data center site search

OpenAI may have just unveiled that nearly trillion dollar plan to expand its infrastructure footprint, but behind the scenes, the AI leader has been running a secretive competition to pick data center winners. Our Mackenzie Sagalos has those details in today's Tech Check. Payback. Hey, Carl. So OpenAI has been quietly searching since January for where to plant its next generation of supercomputing sites, a competition that's drawn more than 800 bids so far. I spoke exclusively with Keith Hyde. He is the person who is pouring over those applications for Sam Altman. He was the head of AI Compute at Meta before OpenAI poached him, and he told me that utilities, landowners, and developers across North America are all pitching to host the next wave of Stargate data centers. But this isn't a repeat of Amazon's HQ2 search. OpenAI is not chasing tax breaks or corporate incentives. The exec leading the process told me they're not swayed by a $25 million rebate over 10 years. What they care about is power, fast, and a community that actually wants them there. They've already narrowed it down to about 20 sites that are in advanced diligence. A solar powered campus in Central Texas is already live, where OpenAI is actually acting as its own developer there. And then some of the proposals still under review involve gas and nuclear power, including advanced reactors and even early stage fusion. Now, Hyde admitted the compute capacity numbers are unprecedented, but he argues that the mix is doable. Solar power paired with batteries that can cover surges. Natural gas offers bridge power while grid connections catch up. And nuclear, whether small modular reactors or longer term fusion, provides dense, reliable baseload. He said that those three anchors together create the industrial backbone that OpenAI needs at scale. And that is why the company has reorganized around infrastructure, elevating it from a support function to a core strategic pillar right alongside product and model development. Because ultimately, if Altman wants to train models orders of magnitude larger, this is the industrial base that he needs to do it. Guys. Mac, what does this mean for the communities in the areas that they're considering? I can see on one hand, it would be beneficial for creating jobs and potentially economic growth. On the other hand, do you think it could lead to higher energy costs and other kind of knock on effects? I think a great example of this is MEDA's $10 billion build out in Louisiana. They're the furthest along in this process. And that is the exact concern that at peak electricity consumption, it would double what it already looks like for the state, which could potentially rise utility costs for homeowners. And that's certainly a big concern there. There are other pressure points, water shortages and other environmental impacts that people are still trying to understand. That's why you're seeing other build outs in rural Indiana, for example. Amazon has sprung up multiple data centers in tandem with Anthropic and more of a rural and remote area as they look to build up their compute access. So it's a standing question, Leslie, and something that we're only going to understand as these build outs continue. Yeah, absolutely. I know St. Louis had actually flirted with the moratorium on new data center approvals because of the concerns. I mean, they're not huge drivers of new employment, which is one reason maybe municipalities aren't as excited as they might have been otherwise. I saw that. Yeah, there was kind of an outcry from the community, which got involved and, you know, said they didn't want that there. Part of why they're also being so vague. Sorry, go ahead, Mac. Just part of why they're being so vague. OpenAI isn't disclosing specific states outside of Texas. They're talking about the southeast and the southwest and the midwest, in part because communities do get very involved in the narrative and some of them are hospitable and others are really looking to distance themselves from these build out projects.

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Inside OpenAI's data center site search

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