OpenAI announced Wednesday that it has opened a new office in London, its first overseas branch outside the United States.
“We are excited to expand our R&D footprint to London, a city known for its rich culture and exceptional talent pool,” said Diane Yoon, vice president of human resources at OpenAI.
OpenAI, based in San Francisco, has raised more than $10 billion in funding. The company has been on a hiring spree in an effort to commercialize its artificial intelligence research.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously said the company is looking to open offices in Europe. This suggests that countries such as Poland, France and the United Kingdom could be options.
OpenAI’s announcement of its first overseas office comes as the U.K. and France vie for the position of European tech hub. During his visit to London, Sam Altman met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
At the time, Altman expressed his dissatisfaction with the way the EU was regulating artificial intelligence. He said that if OpenAI failed to comply with the upcoming regulations, the company could stop operating in Europe. However, he later retracted that statement.
In a June 28 blog post, OpenAI said it would be hiring for research, engineering and commercial positions in London. Altman said London has “world-class talent.
Google is one of OpenAI’s main competitors, with DeepMind, the research lab responsible for the company’s artificial intelligence strategy, also based in London.
