OpenAI has firmly planted its flag in India, unveiling plans to open its first physical office in New Delhi later this year while launching a dedicated India unit that is already pursuing local hiring. This bold step reflects OpenAI’s deepening commitment to one of its fastest-growing markets and underscores its strategic intent to partner closely with Indian stakeholders at every level.
Though the exact location of the New Delhi office is still forthcoming, the establishment of a legal entity in India signals readiness to engage more deeply with local institutions, governments, businesses, developers, and academia. This move complements the recent launch of “ChatGPT Go,” a cost-effective Indian subscription tier priced at ₹399 per month. The plan offers enhanced features like higher message limits, image generation, and file uploads—all accessible via UPI payment channels tailored to Indian users.
India stands as OpenAI’s second-largest market by user base, with weekly active users having grown fourfold in the past year. The country also ranks among the world’s top five developer markets on OpenAI platforms and hosts the largest population of student users globally.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has voiced strong belief in India’s unique potential to emerge as a global AI leader, driven by an inspired tech talent pool, a thriving developer ecosystem, and supportive government initiatives like the IndiaAI Mission. He called the opening of the office and formation of a local team “an important first step in our commitment to make advanced AI more accessible across the country and to build AI for India and with India.”
The Indian government has also lauded OpenAI’s decision, interpreting it as a testament to India’s growing status in digital innovation and AI adoption. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw remarked that OpenAI’s presence aligns well with India’s broader ambitions to drive inclusive, trusted, enterprise-scale AI transformation under the IndiaAI Mission.
Strategically, this expansion is a timely and prudent bet. India’s vast user base, affordability through tiered subscriptions, and open developer culture make it one of the most fertile grounds globally for AI growth. Localized hiring efforts will help OpenAI build culturally attuned strategies, strengthen trust, and contribute directly to India’s AI maturity.
Furthermore, positioning on the ground opens doors for deeper collaborations spanning regulation, policy, education, and enterprise innovation. This promises a virtuous cycle where OpenAI learns from Indian ingenuity while India benefits from access to cutting-edge AI technologies and expertise.
In a crowded field of AI players—including fierce competitors like Google’s Gemini and Perplexity—this localized infrastructure may give OpenAI a crucial edge by offering tailored services, deeper engagement, and stronger local credibility.
As the office materializes and local hiring scales up, OpenAI’s approach in India could serve as a blueprint for how global AI companies can meaningfully embed themselves in emerging markets—mutually strengthening both global AI progress and local tech ecosystems.
