OpenAI for Australia Initiative

OpenAI has launched OpenAI for Australia, a nationwide initiative designed to accelerate economic growth and productivity through the development of sovereign AI infrastructure, workforce upskilling, and support for the local startup ecosystem. This is the first 'OpenAI for Countries' program in the Asia Pacific region.

Sovereign AI Infrastructure Partnership with NEXTDC

OpenAI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NEXTDC to develop next-generation hyperscale AI infrastructure in Sydney. The partnership focuses on the planning, development, and operation of a large-scale GPU supercluster and hyperscale AI campus at NEXTDC’s S7 site in Eastern Creek.

OpenAI intends to be an initial offtaker of this capacity, with the option to scale over time. This infrastructure is intended to provide Australia with the sovereign compute capacity required for sensitive and mission-critical workloads across national infrastructure, government, research, and enterprise sectors.

AI Literacy and Workforce Upskilling

OpenAI is partnering with CommBank, Coles, and Wesfarmers to provide essential AI skills training to over 1.2 million Australian workers and small businesses via the OpenAI Academy.

The rollout, beginning in 2026, will include the following targeted programs:

• Coles and Wesfarmers: Tailored training programs for their entire workforces.
• Commonwealth Bank (CommBank): AI training modules made available to 1 million small business customers.

OpenAI's internal experts will develop bespoke learning modules based on real-world Australian use cases to ensure the workforce has the practical skills and confidence to use AI tools in everyday work.

Support for the Australian Startup Ecosystem

To foster home-grown innovation, OpenAI is launching its first Australian startup program in partnership with venture capital firms Blackbird, Square Peg, and AirTree.

Participating startups will receive:

• Up to USD $15,000 in API credits.
• Technical mentorship from OpenAI engineers and global experts.
• Workshops: Access to workshops focusing on scaling, compliance, and safety, with the possibility of additional credits for participation.

Additionally, OpenAI will establish an annual Founder Day in Australia, providing entrepreneurs with product deep dives, demos, and technical guidance.