OpenAI to Open First India Office in New Delhi, Targets Rapidly Growing AI Market
OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and backed by Microsoft, announced plans to establish its first office in India later this year. The new office will be located in New Delhi, marking a major step in the company’s expansion into its second-largest market by user numbers. The move highlights India’s growing importance in the global AI landscape as the world’s most populous nation rapidly adopts advanced technologies.
The company has already registered as a legal entity in India and started hiring for local roles, according to a statement shared with Reuters on Friday. This development comes as OpenAI strengthens its commitment to the Indian market, aiming to provide localized services and expand its reach among nearly one billion internet users.
Earlier this week, OpenAI introduced its most affordable ChatGPT plan in India at just $4.60 per month. The strategy targets India’s vast user base, which includes the largest population of student users worldwide. The company revealed that weekly active users in India have quadrupled over the past year, underscoring the nation’s accelerating appetite for AI-driven tools.
Despite this growth, OpenAI faces legal hurdles in India, with news publishers and book authors alleging that the company used copyrighted content without consent to train ChatGPT. OpenAI has firmly denied these claims. CEO Sam Altman emphasized the company’s long-term vision, stating: “Opening our first office and building a local team is an important step toward making advanced AI more accessible across the country and building AI for India, and with India.”
The AI firm also faces stiff competition in India from major players like Google’s Gemini and AI startup Perplexity, both of which have launched attractive plans—some offered for free—to capture market share. As AI adoption surges, OpenAI’s physical presence and localized approach could be key to maintaining its lead in a highly competitive and fast-evolving landscape.
Source: Reuters