OpenAI CFO Sees Data-Center Buildout Continuing After Midterms

OpenAI’s business grew 70% quarter over quarter in the third quarter, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said, as 1.2 billion people use its products each week. Friar said the enterprise business doubled and revenue is evenly split between consumer and enterprise, figures she used to justify continued data-center construction and further fundraising.

What will the midterms change?

CNBC reported on November 6, 2026 that OpenAI will keep investing in AI data centers despite midterm election opposition. Friar spoke with Sara Eisen at the Citi TMT Leadership Summit in Pebble Beach, California, and said the election had not dramatically changed OpenAI’s position.

Friar said OpenAI still needs compute to meet customer demand, maintain hyperscaler relationships and raise fresh capital. “If the midterm means more focus on data centers and communities, we’re going to keep doing the work to get into those communities and to build trust with them,” Friar said.

Her answer tied the election outcome to three parts of OpenAI’s expansion plan: data-center construction, hyperscaler relationships and community engagement. The ongoing funding round will support that same buildout, she said.

Across 41 local ballot measures in 10 states, voters backed restrictions or rejected pro-development measures in all but one, CNBC reported. Voters nationwide also supported candidates pledging restrictions on data-center development, according to CNBC. The report put local acceptance alongside OpenAI’s need for facilities to train models, serve customers and maintain hyperscaler relationships.

How is OpenAI answering local objections?

Friar identified electricity costs, water use and noise as the concerns OpenAI hears when entering communities. She said the company must listen, set a plan and remain accountable. OpenAI has promised not to raise local electricity bills and can work with utilities to invest in the grid.

Friar described a large data-center footprint as usually requiring about two Olympic swimming pools of water, trucked in and recirculated. She said most water consumption is associated with people working at the facilities. Her Georgia examples included a 300-foot-high noise-control berm, free school meals, a park and an AI summit for small businesses.

What did OpenAI pledge for new campuses?

The interview followed OpenAI’s November 5, 2026 announcement on responsible AI infrastructure. For future campuses it owns and operates, OpenAI committed to:

• Local compacts and annual public reporting.
• Full payment of electricity use and serving-infrastructure costs.
• Site-level water and electricity disclosures.
• Limits on non-disclosure agreements with public officials.

Why is compute still shaping product sequencing?

Friar confirmed a funding round is ongoing and argued that capital would remain available for the strongest businesses. She cited product usage as evidence of AI demand and said her approach is to raise money when possible, alongside maintaining hyperscaler relationships and community work.

Compute availability also affects product sequencing. Friar said OpenAI introduced its proactive virtual assistant in the enterprise first because business tasks can show clear value, enterprise security requirements provide a demanding test, and a constrained compute environment forces prioritization where OpenAI can maximize outcomes. The longer-term plan is to bring the assistant to OpenAI’s broader consumer base.

Is OpenAI still targeting a 2027 debut?

Public-market planning is unchanged. Friar said OpenAI would continue looking at a 2027 debut and that the midterms did not alter that position.

Friar left OpenAI with two linked tasks: financing and securing compute for demand while addressing community objections over electricity, water and noise. The expansion announced before the midterms now depends on delivering the local compacts, reporting, payment and disclosure promises made on November 5, 2026.

OpenAI has not changed its investment position, Friar said. The practical test is whether those commitments are carried out as expansion continues.