OpenAI is opening its first permanent London office, signing a lease on an 88,500 square foot space in King's Cross capable of accommodating more than 500 employees.
The company currently employs around 200 people in London, meaning the new office would more than double its local headcount.
The King's Cross location places OpenAI alongside a cluster of established AI firms, including Google DeepMind, Meta, Synthesia and Wayve.
The announcement comes despite OpenAI having recently paused plans for a UK Stargate data centre project, which the company attributed to high industrial energy costs and the country's regulatory environment.
Discussions between OpenAI and its project partner Nscale, the cloud computing group that raised $2 billion in March, are understood to be continuing, though the pause has been described as a setback for the UK's AI infrastructure buildout.
Phoebe Thacker, OpenAI's London site lead, said: "The UK has an incredible depth of talent and a strong track record in AI."
The office opening reflects broader momentum in the UK AI sector, with the government's AI Opportunities Action Plan having attracted $6.7 billion in funding so far this year, approaching the $8.2 billion raised across the whole of 2025, according to data from research firm Dealroom.
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Recent fundraisings illustrate investor appetite, with autonomous vehicle company Wayve raising $1.2 billion in February and voice AI firm ElevenLabs securing $500 million in the same period.
The UK government has positioned AI investment as central to its industrial strategy, and OpenAI's long-term office commitment is likely to be welcomed in Whitehall despite the unresolved questions over domestic infrastructure capacity.The recap
- OpenAI signs lease for an 88,500 square foot London office.
- New space can house over 500 team members, company said.
- Discussions with partner Nscale on paused Stargate project remain ongoing.