OpenAI plants its EU flag in Dublin: leases Tropical Fruit Warehouse as new EU HQ, adds 250 jobs

#What happened

OpenAI has leased the iconic Tropical Fruit Warehouse in Dublin's Docklands — an 88,000 sq ft space — as the new home of its EU headquarters, with relocation planned for late 2026.

#Why it matters

Europe was notably excluded from Dots' launch rollout — a Dublin HQ with dedicated privacy and policy staff puts OpenAI in a stronger position to clear EU AI Act and data-protection hurdles for future agent rollouts. Watch for hiring signals in privacy, legal and engineering on OpenAI's careers page.

#250 new roles

Over the next two years, OpenAI will add 250 roles in Dublin across sales, engineering, user operations, HR, finance, privacy, legal, corpsec and workplace. The Dublin team currently numbers over 100, and OpenAI says local ChatGPT users have grown past 1 million since the company first announced Ireland as its EU HQ location in 2023.

#The Irish welcome

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and IDA Ireland welcomed the investment. Emma Redmond, Associate General Counsel & Head of OpenAI Ireland, said the new HQ reflects OpenAI's long-term commitment in Ireland. The company also says the investment builds on its "OpenAI for Ireland" programme for young builders, start-ups and SMEs.

#Sources

• IPUT announcement: OpenAI Announces New EU HQ and 250 Additional Jobs in Ireland
• OpenAI careers page: openai.com/careers

Verified October 5, 2026.