OpenAI Expands into South Korea Amid Surge in Local ChatGPT Subscribers

In the upcoming months, the American company OpenAI plans to establish a legal entity in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, as reported by Bloomberg. The company is actively hiring staff to foster partnerships with local businesses and government officials.

OpenAI notes that South Korea hosts the largest number of paid subscribers to the ChatGPT chatbot outside of the United States. Additionally, the American firm has offices in Japan and Singapore, with nearly 40 employees working in its Tokyo location and 20 in Singapore.

Currently, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer, Jason Kwon, is touring Asian countries, meeting with government representatives and potential industry partners to discuss artificial intelligence infrastructure and the usage of OpenAI’s software.

Kwon stated that a fully developed AI ecosystem could position South Korea as one of the most promising markets globally for impactful applications of this technology, benefiting everyone from students to seniors and spanning various sectors from microchips to software.

In February of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that a group of investors is planning to construct one of the largest data centers for AI in South Korea. The facility, which will have a power capacity of up to 3 gigawatts, is projected to cost $35 billion.

Furthermore, OpenAI intends to build a 5-gigawatt AI data center in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the UAE-based conglomerate G42. This data center will be part of Stargate—a joint initiative involving OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle.