The San Francisco-based tech company OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has announced that it will open an office in Munich. The office will be the company's first in Germany.

OpenAI announces plan to open office in Munich

OpenAI, the US tech company and creator of ChatGPT, has announced that it will open an office in Munich, Bavaria.

“Germany is renowned for its technical expertise, academic excellence, and industrial innovation,” CEO Sam Altman said in a statement on the office opening, “Opening our first office in Germany means we can help even more people, businesses, and institutions benefit from AI’s possibilities.”

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany is the European country with the highest number of ChatGPT users and the international country with the fifth-highest number of users. The number of Germany-based ChatGPT users tripled in 2024 alone.

While the international company is already hiring engineers based in Munich, it is yet unclear where in the Bavarian capital its offices will be and when exactly they will open. Many other US tech giants already have offices in the city including Google, Microsoft, Apple and Intel.

Munich will become “AI Mecca” of Europe

OpenAI’s plan to open an office in Germany has been in discussion with German authorities since 2023. 

In response to the confirmation from OpenAI, Bavarian Economy Minister Markus Blume (CSU) said that the state capital was on the way to becoming the “AI Mecca of Europe”.

In late 2024 the company also announced that it will open offices in Brussels, Dublin, Paris and Zurich.

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