By Ananya Gairola ,
42 minutes ago
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OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said the company will keep pouring money into artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure despite growing public opposition to data centers and a sweeping voter rebuke of new developments in the midterm elections.
OpenAI Doubles Down On Data Center Investments
On Friday, speaking to CNBC’s Sara Eisen at the Citi TMT Leadership Summit in Pebble Beach, California, Friar said OpenAI remains focused on expanding its computing capacity to meet rising customer demand.
"When I think about the midterms, I need to keep thinking about how do we keep investing to meet that customer demand," she said.
Friar added that OpenAI’s relationships with major cloud infrastructure providers, alongside its ability to raise capital, would remain central to its expansion plans.
Her comments come after voters opposed or rejected pro-development proposals in all but one of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states, according to Ballotpedia and CNBC.
Concerns over electricity bills, water consumption, environmental damage and potential job losses have fueled resistance to data center projects.
"If the midterm means more focus on...