'Demand for AI is real,' CFO says, citing 1.2 billion weekly active users
OpenAI pledges community support to address power, water and noise concerns
OpenAI's top financial executive said the company will continue investing in AI data center infrastructure despite a backlash against such facilities that emerged in US midterm election results.
Sarah Friar, OpenAI's chief financial officer, said in an interview with CNBC on Friday (local time) that "even looking at the midterm results, we have to think about how to keep investing to meet customer demand."
"Demand for AI is real," Friar said, citing OpenAI's achievement of 1.2 billion weekly active users in the third quarter and a doubling of enterprise sales as the company brought on major corporate customers including JPMorgan Chase.
Friar said OpenAI would address the anti-data center sentiment revealed in the midterm elections by building trust with local communities.
The company plans to tackle issues such as rising electricity costs, water shortages and noise, while also providing residents with the support they want — including investments in free school meals and the creation of parks.
OpenAI unveiled a "National Community Compact" plan on Thursday, just after the Democratic Party swept the midterms and a wave of AI regulation advocates won election, pledging to directly cover grid expansion costs and strengthen cooperation with local residents.
Friar also said the company would continue its ongoing funding round — which has raised $11 billion so far at a valuation of $1.25 trillion — to finance such infrastructure investment.
On the question of a public listing, Friar said the company would continue exploring the possibility of proceeding next year.
Anthropic, a rival founded by former OpenAI employees, filed its prospectus late last month and formally began the initial public offering process. Friar had reassured employees in August that it was acceptable for OpenAI to list later than Anthropic.
cook@heraldcorp.com
