OpenAI expands London office into largest research hub outside the US

OpenAI Announces Major Expansion of London Office

OpenAI has announced plans to turn its London office into its largest research hub outside of the United States. The company -- which established a UK office in 2023 -- says it will expand its London-based research team, scooping up talent emerging from leading British universities. It has not indicated how many researchers it will hire. "The UK brings together world class talent and leading scientific institutions and universities, making it an ideal place to deliver the important research which will ensure our AI is safe, useful and benefits everyone," said Mark Chen, chief research officer at OpenAI, in a statement. The plans bring OpenAI into direct competition for top research talent with Google DeepMind, the AI lab run by British researcher Demis Hassabis, which is headquartered in London. DeepMind has long-running partnerships with Oxford University and the University of Cambridge, where it sponsors professorships, funds research, and works alongside researchers. At the latest careers fair at Oxford University, the floor was packed with undergraduates looking for technical roles and recruiters hiring for AI-related positions."The demand and supply is increasing on both sides, even within a year," says Jonathan Black, director of the careers service at Oxford University. "To have something like this turn up is a really positive sign." OpenAI's team in London will continue to contribute to products like Codex and GPT-5.2, the company says, but will now "own" certain aspects of model development relating to safety, reliability, and performance evaluation. In a statement, the UK's science and technology secretary, Liz Kendall, described the announcement as "a huge vote of confidence in the UK's world-leading position at the cutting edge of AI research." The announcement coincides with a push in the UK to scale the nation's data center and power infrastructure to meet the voracious demand for compute among AI companies, including OpenAI.

OpenAI to make London its biggest research hub outside US

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday that it would make London its largest research hub outside the United States, citing Britain's technology ecosystem as an ideal environment to invest in and develop new artificial intelligence systems. The move feeds into Britain's push to cast itself as an "AI superpower" and a home for cutting-edge research at a time when governments are vying for investment from major model developers. Mark Chen, OpenAI's research chief, said the country's mix of talent, leading universities and globally respected scientific institutions gives it leverage in a sector governments worldwide view as strategically important. Technology minister Liz Kendall said OpenAI's expansion in London was a "huge vote of confidence." "It also reaffirms the UK's global leadership as the place to pursue AI innovation that is both safe and transformative," Kendall said in a statement. OpenAI did not set out specific details on the plan, such as the size of any investment or the number of jobs it would involve. The company, whose European headquarters are in Dublin, opened its first international office in London in 2023, with its teams working on the software and infrastructure needed to develop and run its AI models. Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; editing by William James Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

OpenAI to make London its biggest research hub outside US

OpenAI is establishing its largest research center outside the United States in London. This significant move highlights Britain's strong technology sector and its ambition to be a global leader in artificial intelligence. The company's decision is seen as a major endorsement of the UK's innovation capabilities. ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday that it would make London its largest research hub outside the United States, citing Britain's technology ecosystem as an ideal environment to invest in and develop new artificial intelligence ⁠systems. The ⁠move feeds into Britain's push to cast itself as an "AI superpower" and a home for cutting-edge research at a time when governments are vying for investment from major model developers. Mark Chen, OpenAI's research chief, said the country's ⁠mix of talent, leading universities and globally respected scientific institutions gives it leverage in a ⁠sector governments worldwide view as strategically important. Technology minister Liz Kendall said OpenAI's expansion in London was a "huge vote of confidence." "It also reaffirms the UK's global leadership as the place to pursue AI innovation that is both safe and transformative," Kendall said in a statement. OpenAI did not set out specific details on the plan, such as the size of ⁠any investment or the number of jobs it would involve. The company, whose European headquarters are in Dublin, opened its first international office in London in 2023, with its teams working on the software and infrastructure needed to develop and run its AI models.

OpenAI to make London its biggest research hub outside US

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Thursday that it would make London its largest research hub outside the United States, citing Britain's technology ecosystem as an ideal environment to invest in and develop new artificial intelligence systems. The move feeds into Britain's push to cast itself as an "AI superpower" and a home for cutting-edge research at a time when governments are vying for investment from major model developers. Mark Chen, OpenAI's research chief, said the country's mix of talent, leading universities and globally respected scientific institutions gives it leverage in a sector governments worldwide view as strategically important. Technology minister Liz Kendall said OpenAI's expansion in London was a "huge vote of confidence." "It also reaffirms the UK's global leadership as the place to pursue AI innovation that is both safe and transformative," Kendall said in a statement. OpenAI did not set out specific details on the plan, such as the size of any investment or the number of jobs it would involve. The company, whose European headquarters are in Dublin, opened its first international office in London in 2023, with its teams working on the software and infrastructure needed to develop and run its AI models. (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; editing by William James)