San Francisco-based OpenAI is ramping up expansion after securing billions of dollars in funding and credit recently, commanding a valuation of US$157 billion (S$205 billion) in a round that also saw support from SoftBank Group Corp., a longtime AI-focused investor. Earlier in the year, the US startup opened its first Asia office in Tokyo, with a bespoke GPT-4 model catering to Japanese-language customers.
Singapore now serves as the Asia hub for several major US internet firms, including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Meta Platforms Inc. Those two companies are also collaborating on building subsea internet cables that will support faster communication between the city-state and the US west coast.
“Singapore, with its rich history of technology leadership, has emerged as a leader in artificial intelligence,” Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, said in the statement. “We’re excited to partner with the government and the country’s thriving AI ecosystem as we expand into the APAC region.
