OpenAI Mulls Data Centers In India, South Korea After Opening Local Offices: Report

After opening regional offices in India and South Korea, OpenAI is mulling setting up data centers in these countries with local partners, according to media reports.

OpenAI announced the opening of its Korean office on Wednesday, the company's third in Asia and 12th globally. At a press conference in Seoul, Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon said that the company is open to exploring partnerships regarding data center construction without elaborating, according to a report in The Korean Times.

Kwon earlier met with the heads of Samsung and SK Group in a Washington summit, according to the report.

In India, The Economic Times reported that OpenAI is in discussions with data center operators, such as Sify Technologies and Reliance Industries, for the same purpose.

The potential investment could come from the Stargate project, an up to $500 billion investment plan by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and others, to support data center capacity expansion.

The development comes after OpenAI opened an office in New Delhi and also launched its cheapest ChatGPT subscription plan globally in India.

The widespread adoption of AI applications is driving up demand for data centers. Major cloud companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, as well as social media giant Meta, have announced billions of dollars of investment in the area this year.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

Read Next: Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Faces AI Talent Retention Woes After Hiring Splurge As Internal Frictions Emerge: Report