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OpenAI signs lease for permanent London office with space for more than 500 staff
OpenAI has signed an 88,500 sq ft London lease and plans to grow its UK staff from 200 to over 500. The permanent office will cover research, safety, infrastructure, and policy roles.
OpenAI Opens Permanent London Office, Expands to 500+ Staff
OpenAI has signed a lease for an 88,500 square foot office in London, more than doubling its UK workforce from roughly 200 to over 500 people. The move marks the company's first permanent London base and follows its February announcement that the city would become its largest research hub outside the United States.
Phoebe Thacker, OpenAI's London site lead, said the decision reflects "the UK's incredible depth of talent and strong track record in AI."
What the Expansion Covers
The office is designed as a multi-disciplinary hub rather than a single-purpose facility. OpenAI expects to hire across applied research, safety, infrastructure, and policy roles to fill the expanded space.
The company also signals closer collaboration with UK universities and industry partners for model evaluation, safety work, and regulatory engagement. The timing follows earlier changes to OpenAI's UK strategy around the Stargate project.
What Matters for Research Teams
For researchers in the UK and Europe, this represents a material shift in OpenAI's local presence. The permanent office enables deeper partnerships with academic institutions and positions London as a center for applied research rather than an outpost.
Job postings and hiring announcements will be the clearest near-term signal of OpenAI's research priorities. Watch for dedicated safety labs, cross-company research partnerships, or compute investments tied to UK data residency requirements.
The expansion also strengthens OpenAI's direct engagement with UK policymakers and standards bodies-a factor that shapes how regulatory frameworks develop for AI research in Europe.