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How OpenAI uses Apache Kafka and Flink for GenAI
OpenAI pulled back the curtain at the Current 2025 conference in London on how it builds and operates the data streaming infrastructure behind its world-leading GenAI systems.
The message was clear: building powerful models like GPT-4.1 is only part of the equation. Equally critical is the ability to move, transform, and act on data in real time. And that’s where Apache Kafka and Apache Flink come in — powering the infrastructure behind ChatGPT, the user interface available via web and mobile apps.
This post summarizes how OpenAI uses Apache Kafka and Flink for large-scale streaming, how it handles Kafka at global scale, and why stream processing is indispensable for generative and agentic AI. While the three OpenAI talks at Current were highly technical — focused on architecture, infrastructure, and internal APIs — they offered rare insights into how real-time data streaming fuels innovation at one of the world’s most advanced AI companies.
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