February 4, 2025:
OpenAI Expands Asian Reach with Kakao, SoftBank Deals - OpenAI is expanding its presence in Asia through partnerships with South Korea's Kakao and Japan's SoftBank. The collaboration with Kakao involves integrating OpenAI technology into KakaoTalk and developing a Korean-language assistant named Kanana. Simultaneously, SoftBank is investing $3 billion to adopt OpenAI solutions and form a joint venture, SB OpenAI Japan.
These deals enable OpenAI to access Asian-language markets, vital for global growth amid competition from the Chinese AI firm DeepSeek. Additionally, SoftBank might lead a $40 billion funding round for OpenAI, potentially valuing it at $300 billion.
