OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT ads to more countries while also making its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models and Codex coding agent available through Google Cloud. These moves are aimed at reaching more advertisers and business customers.OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads globally and brings GPT-6 Astra models to Google Cloud. (Unsplash)OpenAI began testing advertisements on ChatGPT in the United States earlier this year.
Since then, more than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on the platform, the company said.ChatGPT ads expand to more countriesChatGPT ads are also launching in markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The new markets include Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan.Advertisers can access ChatGPT ads in these new markets through technology partners.
They can also use a self-service option through Ads Manager on OpenAI's platform. ChatGPT ads will be limited to the Free and Go subscription plans.
Users with Plus, Pro and Enterprise subscriptions will continue to use the service without advertisements, OpenAI said.In September, OpenAI introduced AI-powered tools to help advertisers manage their campaigns. It also began testing business-sponsored AI agents with selected advertisers in the United States, according to Reuters.Also read: eBay layoffs 2026: Company to cut 1,000 jobs in second round of workforce reductionsOpenAI GPT-6 Astra models on Google CloudAlongside its advertising expansion, OpenAI is preparing to make its advanced AI models and Codex coding agent available through Google Cloud in the coming weeks.
The companies announced the move on Wednesday, according to Reuters.The partnership will bring OpenAI's latest AI models, including GPT-6 Astra, to Google Cloud's Model Garden. This will allow businesses to discover and access OpenAI's models through Google's cloud platform.Businesses can buy OpenAI AI modelsCustomers will be able to purchase these models through Google Cloud Marketplace.
They will also be able to use their existing Google Cloud spending commitments to pay for the purchases, according to a company blog post.The move is part of OpenAI's effort to sell its AI models to more enterprise customers. Enterprise customers are businesses and large organisations that use technology for their work.
The partnership will also help businesses in regulated industries access OpenAI's models through Google Cloud's existing security and data management systems. These industries include sectors where organisations must follow strict rules on how they handle data.Businesses will be able to use Google's access controls, data governance tools and infrastructure to build agentic AI workflows.
These are systems in which AI agents can carry out tasks and work through multiple steps towards a goal.OpenAI expands AI model sales beyond MicrosoftGoogle has become the latest major cloud provider to offer OpenAI's models to its customers. This follows the end of OpenAI's exclusive distribution arrangement with Microsoft in April.
Since that arrangement ended, OpenAI has expanded the distribution of its AI models and Codex coding agent through Amazon Web Services (AWS) and now Google Cloud. Both Amazon and Google operate major cloud computing platforms and compete to attract AI customers, Reuters reported.Also read: Nvidia launches new AI data center system to cut setup time from six months to 14 daysThe partnership highlights the increasingly complex relationship between OpenAI and Google.
The two companies compete in major AI products and search, but they are also working together as the cost of developing and running advanced AI models increases.Google Cloud offers more AI models to businessesGoogle is positioning its cloud business as a platform where customers can choose from a wider range of AI models, rather than being limited to Google's own technology. The company had also struck a deal with OpenAI last year to provide it with additional computing capacity.Thomas Kurian, chief executive of Google Cloud, previously told Reuters that the platform was open to different AI models and welcomed models that were popular with developers.
Offering OpenAI's models strengthens Google's strategy of providing customers with more third-party AI options. It also allows Google Cloud to attract businesses that want to use OpenAI's technology without relying only on OpenAI's own infrastructure.Cloud providers become key AI sales channelsCloud providers are becoming important sales channels for leading AI companies.
They help AI developers reach business customers by offering models through established cloud platforms. Cloud providers generally earn a share of sales made through their platforms.The growing importance of these partnerships can also be seen in Anthropic, an OpenAI rival backed by Amazon and Google.
According to Anthropic's initial public offering (IPO) filing reviewed by Reuters, 47% of its revenue in 2025 came through Amazon's and Google's cloud platforms.Together, OpenAI's expansion of ChatGPT advertising and its Google Cloud partnership show how the company is developing different ways to reach customers. While advertising expands its commercial reach among ChatGPT users, cloud partnerships make its AI models and coding tools available to more businesses.