OpenAI to open Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore

The maker of ChatGPT said Wednesday that it has started building a team in the city-state and the Singapore office will support customers in the region, focusing on tie-ups with governments and businesses.

OpenAI said it appointed Oliver Jay as managing director for International, to lead the efforts in Singapore and oversee the company’s international operations and global expansion. Jay was formerly the chief revenue officer at software company Asana, and once served as a board member at ride-hailing company Grab.

Singapore will be OpenAI’s second office in Asia, after it opened its Tokyo office earlier this year. The expansion signals a long-term commitment in the country and aims to tap and hire local talent in technology.

“Singapore, with its rich history of technology leadership, has emerged as a leader in artificial intelligence," said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with the government and the country’s thriving AI ecosystem as we expand into the APAC region."

About five to 10 roles will be hired by the year’s end to support OpenAI’s technical, global affairs, operations, and communications needs, and the firm is currently looking for office space.

The AI firm said that Singaporeans are some of the highest per capita users of ChatGPT globally, with the number of weekly active users in Singapore doubling since the beginning of the year.

OpenAI also announced a partnership with AI Singapore, a national program focusing on research and adoption of AI, and will provide up to $1 million “to help develop resources, including open datasets, to ensure AI models are better suited to Southeast Asia’s diverse languages and cultures."

News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI.

Write to Kimberley Kao at kimberley.kao@wsj.com