According to Yonhap News,

U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI on Monday announced it will begin operations in South Korea as part of its ongoing global expansion of AI infrastructure.

Jason Kwon, chief strategy officer at OpenAI, said OpenAI has established a Korean unit and plans to open its first Korean office in Seoul.

"Our next international office is going to be here in Seoul," Kwon told reporters in Seoul, adding the Seoul office will be OpenAI's third Asian branch following those in Tokyo and Singapore.

"We are going to open it in the coming months. We are going to start hiring a local team to advance our efforts and support local users, customers and partners."

It is part of OpenAI's global expansion as the operator of the AI chatbot ChatGPT has launched 11 new offices in major cities, including Paris, Brussels, Singapore, London, Dublin and Tokyo, in recent years.

Before officially entering the South Korean market, OpenAI has partnered with Korean companies, including internet giant Kakao Corp., gamemaker Krafton Inc. and leading mobile carrier SK Telecom Co., to collaborate on AI technology and data center development.

Kwon emphasized that South Korea was selected as a key partner country due to the high level of engagement with OpenAI's services.

South Korea ranks among the top 10 countries for both ChatGPT users and developers using OpenAI platforms. In particular, it has the second-largest number of paid ChatGPT subscribers, following the United States.

"Koreans are not just the early adopters of ChatGPT, but they are also shaping how it is used across the world," he said. "We are also proud to partner with Korean organizations to deploy advanced AI."

Kwon said through its Korean office, OpenAI aims to strengthen cooperation with Korean policymakers, businesses and developers to promote AI innovation tailored to local needs.

However, Kwon did not provide details about plans for a Korean data center. OpenAI recently announced plans to build a massive AI computing cluster in Abu Dhabi.


brk@yna.co.kr

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Source: Yonhap News (May 26, 2024)