OpenAI opens South Korean office, eyes data centre next

OpenAI opened its Seoul office on Wednesday, its third location in Asia and 12th worldwide, and hints at the possibility of building a data centre as the AI tech giant doubles down on its commitment to South Korea as a future global hub for artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking to reporters, OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jasok Kwon said the launch of their South Korean subsidiary would support the country’s ‘great transition’ towards AI. “Korea has a unique combination of world-class infrastructure, innovative corporations, and early adopters, making it an optimal place for AI innovation,” he said.

Kwon added that OpenAI, known for its wildly popular ChatGPT generative AI chatbot, is open to working with South Korean partners in building a data centre in the country. "When it comes to the hardware chip side, I think we have a lot of good partnerships in motion with companies like SK and Samsung.”

Kwon met with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won last month at the Korea-United States Business Roundtable in Washington, following a summit between President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

Kwon did not elaborate on the size and scope of OpenAI’s investment in South Korea, nor did he disclose leadership and staffing details on its new office.

"While we don't have anything to share today with regard to our Korean office leadership, we expect to have updates very soon," he said.

Kwon also revealed that he had discussions with President Lee on potential cooperation to accelerate South Korea’s AI industry and emphasised the country’s potential to achieve ‘AI sovereignty’.

“Given Korea’s strategic edge, we see strong potential for partnerships with the Korean government,” he said.