Amazon and others are done keeping data center deals secret. Is it enough to build trust?

Amazon has announced it will stop utilizing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) when negotiating data center projects with local governments, following a similar policy shift by Microsoft earlier this year. This move comes as the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure faces significant community backlash, resulting in numerous moratoriums across the United States. Critics have long argued that the lack of transparency regarding energy consumption, water usage, and land development has eroded public confidence. By abandoning these secrecy clauses, tech giants hope to mitigate local opposition and foster more collaborative relationships with the communities hosting their massive server farms. However, industry analysts remain divided on whether this change in transparency will be sufficient to satisfy local concerns, as the environmental and social impacts of large-scale AI data centers continue to be a major point of contention for residents and policymakers alike.