New initiative ‘OpenAI for Countries’ offers support in expanding data center capacity for local AI development.
OpenAI launches a new global initiative to help countries set up their own AI infrastructure. OpenAI for Countries aims to support national governments in expanding data center capacity and adapting AI tools like ChatGPT to local languages. The program comes after increasing interest from international leaders, as seen during the AI Action Summit in Paris.
Customized Local Projects for Each Country
The program is comparable to OpenAI’s Stargate project in the US, which invests up to 500 billion dollars in AI infrastructure. For this, OpenAI wants to collaborate with ten countries, but it hasn’t specified which ones yet. The collaboration will vary per country: from expanding existing data centers to building new infrastructure from scratch.
This way, OpenAI aims to expand AI capacity in countries that want to deploy OpenAI technology in a democratically responsible manner. According to Chris Lehane, VP of global policy at OpenAI, each partnership will be tailored to what the country needs.
Geopolitical Factor
OpenAI is addressing geopolitical tensions with this move. It refers to AI infrastructure as the backbone of future economic growth and national development, and sees the collaboration as a way for democratic countries to strengthen technological leadership and thus compete with China.
The funding comes from both OpenAI itself and the participating governments. According to Lehane, the project fits into a broader strategy of “commercial diplomacy,” where technological cooperation goes hand in hand with international alliances.
OpenAI emphasizes that this initiative is separate from Stargate, but that both projects are part of a global strategy to provide each country with sufficient AI infrastructure, ensuring they have robust local data centers.