OpenAI expands ChatGPT Ads to Southeast Asia and Taiwan

OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT Ads to seven more markets: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan. The expansion pushes the ad product past 60 countries less than eight months after it launched.

What's new

OpenAI's announcement states the geographic scope plainly: "ChatGPT Ads will begin rolling out across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan." That follows earlier Asia Pacific launches in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and India.

The ad-free tiers stay ad-free: "Ads will be shown only to users on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscriptions will remain ad-free." Businesses reach the product through OpenAI's Ads Solutions team, agency partners, technology partners, or self-service access via Ads Manager for eligible advertisers.

The company also disclosed a revenue figure alongside the expansion: "ChatGPT Ads had reached $1 billion in annualized revenue run rate in less than 200 days after launch," a milestone OpenAI says it announced in August. With this round of countries added, "ChatGPT Ads are now available in over 60 countries."

Context

ChatGPT Ads launched earlier in 2026 as OpenAI's answer to the question of how a free chatbot tier pays for itself at scale. The product has moved fast: from a handful of markets to more than 60 in well under a year, with Southeast Asia and Taiwan representing some of the fastest-growing smartphone and internet markets in the world. Keeping the split between free/Go tiers (ad-supported) and Plus/Pro/Enterprise (ad-free) mirrors the model streaming services settled on years ago.

Why it matters

A billion dollars in annualized run rate inside 200 days is a fast ramp for any advertising product, let alone one bolted onto a chat interface rather than a search results page or a social feed. It gives OpenAI a second major revenue line beyond subscriptions, and one that scales with usage rather than requiring users to pay directly.

The expansion into Southeast Asia also puts OpenAI in more direct competition with Google and Meta for ad budgets in a region where both already have deep sales infrastructure. Whether advertisers value a placement inside a chat conversation the way they value a search ad or a feed placement is still an open question, but the growth curve so far suggests OpenAI is finding buyers willing to test it.