ChatGPT maker OpenAI to open Singapore office by end-2024
Singaporeans are ‘among the highest per capita users’ of ChatGPT globally, says the company
OPENAI, the developer of popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT, will establish a regional hub in Singapore by the end of the year – marking its second Asia-Pacific (Apac) office, after launching in Tokyo in April.
The Business Times understands that OpenAI plans to hire five to 10 employees by year’s end, and is scouting for office space.
Previously, the company had only a few remote roles with regional responsibilities, but is now focused on hiring for Singapore-specific positions.
As at Wednesday (Oct 9), five roles – spanning sales, customer success, security and technical functions – were listed on OpenAI’s website for its Singapore office.
“Singaporeans are among the highest per capita users of ChatGPT globally, with the number of weekly active users doubling since the start of the year,” OpenAI said on Wednesday.
Globally, more than 250 million people use ChatGPT weekly. OpenAI gained widespread attention in 2022 with the launch of the chatbot, which quickly captured public and investor interest in generative AI technologies.
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Wednesday’s news comes exactly a week after the company announced it had secured US$6.6 billion in new venture funding, propelling its valuation to US$157 billion.
The capital infusion places OpenAI among the world’s largest venture-backed companies, alongside ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Strengthening local ties
Beyond serving regional customers, OpenAI’s new presence in Singapore is expected to foster closer collaboration with government agencies.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said: “Singapore, with its rich history of technology leadership, has emerged as a leader in AI, recognising its potential to solve some of society’s hardest problems and advance economic prosperity.”
Economic Development Board managing director Jacqueline Poh added: “OpenAI’s decision to establish a presence in Singapore, its hub in Apac, underscores the strength of our growing AI ecosystem, fuelled by the government’s investments in AI talent, AI compute and AI demand by enterprises.”
On Wednesday, OpenAI also announced a US$1 million partnership with AI Singapore to expand AI accessibility across South-east Asia.
The initiative will fund the development of resources, including open data sets, to better adapt AI models to the region’s diverse languages and cultures.
Leslie Teo, senior director for AI products at AI Singapore, said: “This effort will improve the availability and quality of South-east Asian data, and encourage further development and adoption of AI models and solutions in our region.”
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