OpenAI doesn’t want to call them “data centers” anymore.
Instead, the ChatGPT maker plans to propose a new, more chic name for the behemoth factories that power your chatbot queries.
That new name is “compute campuses,” an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider on Sunday.
“Compute campuses better describes the scale and role of the infrastructure we’re building for AI,” the spokesperson said. “These are long-term investments in computing, energy infrastructure and skilled work.”
Though much has been said about the less-than-stellar reputations of AI data centers (a recent Pew Research poll found that 54% of Americans say AI data centers are bad for the environment), efforts to ameliorate that view have mostly failed. Data centers are now a major issue for voters in the midterms.
While major data center builders like Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft have pledged millions of dollars to the communities and schools surrounding their centers, OpenAI is betting that a complete rebrand will also help turn around public opinion.
“We want the communities hosting that infrastructure to help shape it and share in the opportunities it creates,” the OpenAI spokesperson said.
Time will tell, however, if the “compute campus” lingo catches on.
Axios earlier reported that OpenAI was also preparing for a blue wave in Tuesday’s midterm elections, which could result in a more regulatory-minded government.
