OpenAI in talks to lease 100,000 sq ft at new Shaw Tower — AI is reshaping Singapore's office market

ChatGPT's maker is reportedly eyeing a huge chunk of Singapore's newest office tower. OpenAI is said to be in talks to lease about 100,000 square feet — roughly five floors — at the new Shaw Tower along Beach Road.

The building itself is a fresh face on the skyline. The 32-storey Shaw Tower offers around 435,000 sq ft of office space, and it received its Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) in mid-June this year — meaning tenants can start moving in right about now.

OpenAI vs Anthropic: the AI office race comes to Singapore

OpenAI isn't the only AI heavyweight making moves here. Its rival Anthropic has leased around 100 desks within The Executive Centre at Ocean Financial Centre — a much more flexible, co-working-style setup. That's a very different bet from OpenAI's reported five floors of Grade A space.

If the OpenAI deal goes through, it would be one of the clearest signs yet that AI companies are setting up serious regional bases in Singapore, and that they want premium, well-connected offices to do it in.

Why this matters for the office market

AI firms are becoming the new growth engine for prime office demand — not just in San Francisco and New York, but increasingly in Singapore too. They tend to want high-spec, modern, sustainable buildings in good locations, which is good news for newer Grade A towers like Shaw Tower.

But it also highlights a widening gap: shiny new offices with the right specs are finding tenants, while older, plainer office stock could struggle to compete. For landlords and investors, that's the key trend to watch.

One important caveat

A word of caution: this is still at the 'in talks' stage. Reports say OpenAI is negotiating for the space, so nothing is signed and sealed yet. Keep an eye on this one — if it closes, it'll be a strong signal about where Singapore's office market is heading.

Sources

The Business Times — OpenAI steps up Singapore footprint, in talks to lease 100,000 sq ft in Shaw Tower (14 Aug 2026): https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/property/openai-steps-singapore-footprint-talks-lease-100000-sq-ft-shaw-tower