OpenAI has announced an expansion of its support for the Australian tech sector, more than tripling the API credits available to local startups.
Effective March 17, the AI giant confirmed it is increasing its credit offering from US$15,000 to US$50,000, alongside providing ten complimentary ChatGPT Business seats per company.
The initiative, unveiled during OpenAI's inaugural "Startup Week," marks a deepened commitment to what the company describes as one of the world’s most dynamic ecosystems.
Since the program's initial pilot in December—which preceded the official opening of OpenAI's Sydney office—the firm has already disbursed over $1.6 million in credits to Australian founders.
The latest injection of capital-in-kind aims to lower the barrier for entry to frontier models, specifically granting startups access to powerful tools like Codex to accelerate software development.
"Australia is home to incredible innovation, from Canva to Heidi Health," said Thomas Jeng, OpenAI’s VC Partnerships Lead for APAC.
"Having a local team on the ground allows us to work directly with developers to ensure they have the latest AI capabilities at their fingertips."
The rollout includes a series of technical workshops hosted in collaboration with prominent local venture capital firms and innovation hubs, including Square Peg, Side Stage Ventures, and Stone & Chalk.
By partnering with homegrown successes like Lorikeet AI and Relevance AI, OpenAI looks to cement Sydney as a primary hub for AI integration within the Southern Hemisphere.