The global AI leader is making a bold move to establish a strong presence in Australia by providing free access and credits to start-ups supported by leading venture capital firms. OpenAI’s goal is to win over developers early, ahead of rivals such as Google and Anthropic expanding their Australian operations.
Following its rapid growth across Asia with new offices and major partnerships, OpenAI has now turned its focus to Australia. Although it launched ChatGPT in late 2022 and became the world’s most valuable private tech firm, the company had previously stayed physically distant from Australia. That is now changing fast with a new Sydney headquarters, high-level executive visits and fresh collaborations aligning with Australia's national AI strategy.
This initiative includes offering credits to start-ups backed by Blackbird Ventures, Airtree Ventures and Square Peg Capital, three firms that play a key role in the local tech scene. The free credits help start-ups develop using ChatGPT’s capabilities, encouraging them to adopt OpenAI’s tools in the long term. This push complements existing partnerships with major banks, retailers and property firms, highlighting OpenAI's aim to surpass competitors from both the West and China.
At a broader level, OpenAI’s Australian activity coincides with the federal government’s push for more AI-friendly policy settings. The government is promoting safe and open innovation, avoiding overly strict regulation in favour of more adaptable policy frameworks. Still, industry figures are voicing concerns about a lack of detail, especially around high-energy data centres and rules for approving foreign investment in tech.
There is increasing pressure for Australia to present itself as a secure and appealing location for AI research and infrastructure. Ongoing uncertainty around data centre rules, foreign ownership and the broader AI strategy suggests OpenAI is ready to build, but regulators may be slower to respond. In the meantime, OpenAI appears ready to influence Australia’s technology story, one ChatGPT prompt at a time.
