AI lab profile
OpenAI
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has launched OpenAI for Australia and signed an MoU with NEXTDC to develop an Australian Stargate AI data centre in Sydney.
Founded: 2015. Headquarters: San Francisco. CEO: Sam Altman.
Key figures
- NEXTDC S7 Stargate plan about AU$7bn
- 612MW at full build-out
- First phase expected H2 2027, subject to approvals
Profile summary
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Australian program | OpenAI for Australia, first OpenAI for Countries program in Asia-Pacific |
| Australian office | Sydney, opened as part of OpenAI's Asia-Pacific expansion alongside Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and Delhi, as reported by Bloomberg on 28 Aug 2026 |
| Regional leadership | Sandhya Devanathan, vice president for Australia and Southeast Asia, based in Singapore and reporting to Asia-Pacific managing director Kiran Mani, expected to start in October 2026, as reported by Bloomberg on 28 Aug 2026 |
| Australian data centre | NEXTDC Stargate, S7 Eastern Creek, Western Sydney |
| Planned scale | About AU$7bn, roughly 258,000 sqm and 612MW at full build-out |
| Timeline | First phase expected H2 2027, subject to approvals |
| Role | Foundational customer of the NEXTDC S7 campus |
| Training | OpenAI Academy for 1.2m+ Australians with CommBank, Coles and Wesfarmers |
| Infrastructure partner | NEXTDC |
Australian compute and data centre commitments
OpenAI's Australian compute commitment is structured around a planned NEXTDC S7 Stargate facility in Western Sydney, where it is the foundational customer.
| Deployment | Location | Scale or scope | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Stargate | NEXTDC S7, Eastern Creek, Western Sydney | About AU$7bn, roughly 258,000 sqm and 612MW at full build-out; first phase expected H2 2027; designed for closed-loop liquid cooling | Planned |
| OpenAI for Australia | Australia | National AI adoption and sovereign infrastructure program | Announced |
| OpenAI Academy | Australia | Training for 1.2m+ workers and small businesses with CommBank, Coles and Wesfarmers | Announced |
| Firmus AI factories, Malaysia | Firmus, Malaysia | Two sites, capacity and value undisclosed. Multi-year agreement with the Australian company Firmus as anchor customer; capacity is outside Australia | Announced 8 Sep 2026 |
Government and partnerships
| Date | Round or agreement | Amount or scope | Counterparty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | NEXTDC Stargate MoU | Australian AI data centre at S7 Eastern Creek | OpenAI and NEXTDC |
| 2026 | OpenAI for Australia | AI adoption and sovereign infrastructure program | OpenAI for Countries |
| 2026 | OpenAI Academy and startup program | Training for 1.2m+ Australians; up to US$15,000 API credits for startups | CommBank, Coles, Wesfarmers; Blackbird, Square Peg, AirTree |
| Sep 2026 | Australian government talks | OpenAI vice president of global policy Ann O'Leary met Queensland Premier David Crisafulli in Sacramento, and OpenAI confirmed Sam Altman would meet the Marles delegation in San Francisco. Nothing signed | Queensland Government and Australian Government (Courier Mail, 3 Sep 2026) |
Technology and platform
OpenAI's Australian compute plan centres on a planned GPU supercluster and hyperscale AI campus at NEXTDC S7.
The facility is described as developed and operated by NEXTDC, with OpenAI as its foundational customer and program partner.
OpenAI Academy is the public training program attached to the Australian rollout.
The S7 campus is designed for closed-loop liquid cooling, in which the same water circulates through the cooling system again and again. An earlier design would have used recycled water, and that plan was dropped when the supply pipeline it required failed to gain planning permission, as reported by Reuters in July 2026. NEXTDC chief executive Craig Scroggie told Reuters that recycled water has real merit and that NEXTDC considers it wherever that infrastructure exists.
Leadership
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Sam Altman | CEO |
| George Osborne | OpenAI for Countries global lead |
| Kiran Mani | Managing Director, Asia-Pacific |
| Sandhya Devanathan | Vice President, Australia and Southeast Asia |
How OpenAI compares
| Company | Status or presence | Capacity or commitment | Model or program |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Sydney office and OpenAI for Australia | NEXTDC S7 Stargate MoU | OpenAI Academy |
| Anthropic | Sydney office open (Apr 2026) | National AI Plan MoU | AI for Science |
Latest coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
Does OpenAI have data centres in Australia?
OpenAI has signed an MoU with NEXTDC for a planned Australian Stargate AI data centre at S7 Eastern Creek in Western Sydney, where it is the foundational customer.
What is OpenAI's Stargate in Australia?
The Australian Stargate plan is a proposed AI data centre and GPU supercluster at NEXTDC's S7 site in Western Sydney, with a first phase expected in the second half of 2027.
Is OpenAI partnering with NEXTDC?
Yes. OpenAI and NEXTDC announced an MoU for the planned Australian Stargate facility, which NEXTDC develops and operates.
What is OpenAI for Australia?
OpenAI for Australia is a national program for AI adoption and sovereign infrastructure, the first OpenAI for Countries program in Asia-Pacific.
How big is the OpenAI Sydney data centre?
Planning figures for NEXTDC S7 include about AU$7bn, roughly 258,000 sqm and 612MW at full build-out, with the first phase expected H2 2027, subject to approvals.
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