Quick Take
- OpenAI establishing first Australian office in Sydney by year-end
- ChatGPT weekly users in Australia jumped 2.5x in past year
- Australia now ranks among OpenAI’s top 10 global markets
- Major partnerships secured with Commonwealth Bank, Atlassian, UNSW, Canva
- AI forecast to inject $116 billion into Australia’s economy over decade
OpenAI is setting up its first Australian office in Sydney before the year ends, a strategic move that puts Australia in the company’s top ten global markets. The decision comes after OpenAI is establishing its first Australian users in Australia have grown 2.5 times over the past year, making a strong business case for local operations.
The Sydney office will be OpenAI’s third Asia-Pacific hub, joining Singapore and Tokyo as regional headquarters. This expansion shows how Australia has become a key market for both paying subscribers and developers using the OpenAI platform.
User Growth Drives Strategic Market Entry
Australia’s AI adoption presents a compelling growth story. Weekly active users have more than doubled, pushing the country into OpenAI’s top tier of markets. This growth spans developers, startups, educators, and enterprises—creating a broad ecosystem that supports steady revenue growth.
Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO, pointed to Australia’s developer ecosystem as a major force in AI’s global development. “Australia’s government, businesses and world-class developer ecosystem are already shaping the future of AI,” Lightcap said. The country’s fast adoption rate shows strong market conditions that support major infrastructure investment.
Major Enterprise Partnerships Already in Place
OpenAI has locked in significant Australian partnerships even before opening its physical office. Multi-year deals include Commonwealth Bank, Atlassian, UNSW, and Canva—showing strong enterprise demand across banking, productivity software, education, and design.
Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn stressed the partnership’s competitive edge: “Our strategic partnership with OpenAI reflects our commitment to bringing world-class capabilities to Australia and exploring how AI can enhance customer experiences and unlock opportunities for Australian businesses.” These partnerships show market readiness and lower expansion risks.
Economic Impact and Future Projections
The Productivity Commission expects AI could add $116 billion to Australia’s economy over the next decade. OpenAI’s local presence puts the company in position to capture a significant piece of this growth while supporting wider economic change.
The Sydney office will focus on sales and support for customers using AI solutions. OpenAI plans to hire local staff to improve support services and build stronger ties with Australian clients. Main goals include deeper engagement with policymakers, researchers, and the innovation community.
Competitive Infrastructure Benefits
Australia offers strong advantages for AI infrastructure investment. The country provides plenty of available land, stable policy frameworks, efficient permitting, and abundant renewable energy—factors that support sustainable tech development and operational efficiency.
These competitive benefits reduce operating costs and regulatory uncertainty, making Australia an attractive base for serving the broader Asia-Pacific region. Former Tech Council CEO Kate Pounder works as OpenAI’s Australian policy liaison, providing regulatory guidance as AI-specific laws develop.
Regulatory Environment Provides Business Certainty
The timing works well as governments worldwide work through AI regulation. Australia has pulled back plans for broad AI-specific laws, instead using existing frameworks covering privacy and copyright. This regulatory approach creates a more predictable business environment.
Assistant Minister Andrew Charlton welcomed the news after meeting OpenAI leaders in San Francisco: “Australia’s future prosperity depends on us taking up new technologies and making sure they benefit all Australians.”
Global Platform Growth Context
More than 700 million users are active on OpenAI each week globally, the company reports. Four million developers are building on the OpenAI platform with even more paying business customers. Australia ranks among OpenAI’s top 10 subscriber markets with users more than doubling their usage over the past year.
Kate Pounder, OpenAI’s Australian head of policy, notes that Australians are using ChatGPT for everything from doing admin tasks in their business, planning holidays and checking if messages are potentially cyber scams.
Regional AI Hub Development
OpenAI’s Sydney office launch accelerates Australia’s shift into a regional AI powerhouse. The company’s presence will speed up local innovation, attract talent, and strengthen connections between Australian businesses and global AI markets.
This move comes as OpenAI also expands into India, where weekly ChatGPT users have grown 4x in the last year, making it the company’s second-largest market after the US. The parallel expansion across Asia-Pacific shows OpenAI’s commitment to regional growth.
The company will host events and visits from executives throughout the year, with early hiring focused on technical and support roles for Australian users. While the exact location and staffing numbers stay under wraps, more details will be shared later in the year.
