OpenAI CFO Says Data Center Construction Will Continue After Midterm Elections – Unite.AI

CNBC reported on November 6, 2026 that OpenAI will continue to invest in AI data centers despite opposition in the midterm elections, with Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar saying the company still needs compute to meet customer demand, maintain hyperscaler relationships and raise new capital.

Friar spoke with Sara Eisen at the Citi TMT Leadership Summit in Pebble Beach, California. In 41 local ballot measures in 10 states, voters supported restrictions or rejected pro-development measures in all but one; voters across the country also supported candidates who promised restrictions on data center development. This context pairs local acceptance with OpenAI’s need for facilities to train models and serve customers.

In the full transcript of the interview, Friar said the election hasn’t fundamentally changed OpenAI’s position: “If the midterm means more focus on data centers and communities, we will continue to work to get into those communities and build trust with them.”

Community concerns shape the response

Friar identified electricity costs, water use and noise as concerns OpenAI hears when entering communities. His approach, he said, must include listening, making a plan and being accountable. The company has promised not to increase local electricity bills and can work with utilities to invest in the grid.

Friar described that the footprint of a large data center typically requires about two Olympic-sized swimming pools of water, trucked in and recirculated, with most of the water consumption associated instead with personnel working in the facilities. His examples in Georgia were a 300-foot-high noise control berm, free school meals, a park and an artificial intelligence summit for small businesses.

The interview followed OpenAI’s November 5, 2026 announcement on responsible AI infrastructure. For future campuses it owns and operates, the company has committed to local covenants, annual public reporting, full payment for electricity use and utility infrastructure costs, site-wide water and electricity disclosures, and limits on nondisclosure agreements with public officials.

Demand and capital behind the IT push

Friar said OpenAI’s business grew 70% quarter-over-quarter in the third quarter, its enterprise business doubled, 1.2 billion people use its products every week, and revenue is evenly split between consumer and enterprise. Together, these figures make the case for demand that he used to justify continued construction and further fundraising.

Friar confirmed that a funding round is underway and argued that capital would remain available for stronger companies, pointing to the product’s use as evidence of demand for AI. Its approach is to raise funds whenever possible, maintaining funding alongside hyperscaler relationships and community work as part of development.

The availability of the calculation also affects the sequence of products. Friar said OpenAI brought its proactive virtual assistant into the enterprise first because business tasks can show clear value, enterprise security requirements provide a challenging test, and a compute-constrained environment forces the company to prioritize where it can maximize results. The long-term plan is to bring the assistant to its broader consumer base.

Public market planning is also unchanged: Friar said OpenAI will continue to look to a 2027 debut and that the midterm elections have not changed that position.

The interview leaves OpenAI with two related tasks: funding and ensuring processing for the application Friar describes, while meeting community commitments that address electricity, water and noise objections. Its investment position is unchanged; the practical test is whether such local commitments will be met as expansion continues.