As companies worldwide increasingly integrate AI into their operations, meeting regional data protection standards has become a critical concern. To address this, OpenAI has significantly expanded its data residency program, giving business customers more control over where their information is stored.

The update allows eligible organizations using ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu, or the API platform to choose to have their data stored at rest within specific geographic regions. This is designed to help them comply with local data privacy regulations like GDPR.

Broadened Global Access

Data residency is now available for business customers in several key markets, including:

1. North America: United States and Canada
2. Europe & UK: European Union and the United Kingdom
3. Asia-Pacific: Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, and Australia
4. Middle East: United Arab Emirates

OpenAI has stated it plans to add more regions over time.

How It Works for Different Products

The feature applies across OpenAI's core business and developer products:

1. For ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu: New workspaces can be configured with data residency, ensuring that content such as conversations, uploaded files, and custom GPTs are stored within the selected region.
2. For the API Platform: Enterprise customers with advanced data controls can create new projects and select their preferred region for data handling. In these cases, model requests and responses are not stored at rest on OpenAI's servers.

This expansion builds upon OpenAI's existing security measures, which include robust encryption, a commitment to not training on business customer data by default, and compliance with major standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001.

For global organizations, this update is a key step in reducing a major barrier to AI adoption. By providing more precise control over data geography, OpenAI enables businesses to leverage its technology while maintaining compliance with their specific legal and regulatory frameworks.