OpenAI Sets Up India Unit, Plans First New Delhi Office Amid ChatGPT Boom
New Delhi, Aug 22 (TTP) – OpenAI, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research company and the creator of ChatGPT, has officially established a local unit in India and announced plans to open its first office in New Delhi later this year. The move underscores the company’s growing focus on India, which has emerged as ChatGPT’s second-largest market globally and one of its fastest-growing user bases.
Confirming the development, OpenAI’s co-founder and CEO Sam Altman described India as a future global leader in artificial intelligence.
“The level of excitement and opportunity for AI in India is incredible. India has all ingredients to become a global AI leader—amazing tech talent, a world-class developer ecosystem, and strong government support through the India AI Mission,” Altman said in a statement.
Why India Matters for OpenAI
OpenAI’s decision comes against the backdrop of rapid growth in India’s AI adoption. The company shared new data points highlighting the country’s position in its global ecosystem:
- ChatGPT usage in India has quadrupled in the past year.
- India is ChatGPT’s second-largest market, after the United States.
- India is among the Top 5 developer markets on the OpenAI platform.
- India hosts the largest population of students using ChatGPT worldwide.
This surge has been driven by the country’s young digital-native population, the growing use of AI in education, and a thriving developer ecosystem.
OpenAI’s India Strategy
While OpenAI has not finalized the physical location for its New Delhi office, it has registered a formal entity in India and begun recruiting a local team. This team will work closely with partners across business, academia, government, and the developer community.
The company’s India expansion also aligns with its product and policy push designed specifically for local users:
- ChatGPT Go: An India-specific subscription plan priced at ₹399/month, integrated with UPI for seamless payments.
- OpenAI Academy: A nationwide AI literacy program in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to build foundational AI skills.
- Enhanced Indic Language Support: The newly launched GPT-5 model has shown major improvements in handling Indic languages like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi, making the tool more accessible.
- Study Mode: A new feature that helps students learn through personalized step-by-step guidance and interactive questioning.
Government’s Response: AI for All
Welcoming OpenAI’s decision, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the importance of trusted and inclusive AI.
“OpenAI’s decision to establish a presence in India reflects the country’s growing leadership in digital innovation and AI adoption. As part of the IndiaAI Mission, we are building the ecosystem for trusted and inclusive AI, and we welcome OpenAI’s partnership in advancing this vision to ensure the benefits of AI reach every citizen,” Vaishnaw said.
India’s IndiaAI Mission, announced earlier this year, is a government-backed program aimed at fostering responsible AI adoption, supporting AI startups, and driving innovation across sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and governance.
Events and Hiring Drive
As part of its local engagement, OpenAI will organize two flagship events in India this year:
- Education Summit (August 2025): To be held later this month, focusing on how AI can transform learning and skill development.
- Developer Day (December 2025): OpenAI’s first such event in India, designed to showcase new developer tools, APIs, and AI applications.
The company is also actively hiring for roles in New Delhi, including policy specialists, partnership managers, AI research experts, and developer relations professionals.
Context: India’s Growing AI Landscape
India has become a hotbed for AI innovation, with startups, academic institutions, and government bodies investing heavily in the sector. According to NASSCOM, India already accounts for over 400 AI-focused startups and has seen more than $1.5 billion in AI investments in 2024 alone.
The National AI Mission and initiatives like Digital India have created fertile ground for global companies like OpenAI to set up operations. Moreover, India’s demographic advantage—a young, tech-savvy population—has made it a natural market for AI adoption in both consumer and enterprise contexts.
Implications: What This Means for India
OpenAI’s entry signals more than just a corporate expansion. Industry experts say it could accelerate India’s:
- AI Education: Students already form the largest user base for ChatGPT in India, and OpenAI’s Study Mode could further strengthen digital learning.
- Startups and Developers: With access to OpenAI’s tools and localized support, Indian developers could build AI-powered applications tailored for the domestic and global markets.
- Government Partnerships: Collaboration with MeitY and state governments could bring AI solutions to sectors like agriculture, public services, and healthcare.
- Employment: OpenAI’s hiring and potential collaborations with Indian IT companies could generate new opportunities in AI research and deployment.
Global AI Race and India’s Position
Globally, the AI race is intensifying, with companies like Microsoft, Google, Anthropic, and Meta pushing forward with their own AI models and strategies. OpenAI’s expansion into India ensures it doesn’t just keep pace but also taps into one of the fastest-growing digital markets in the world.
India’s importance as a testbed for large-scale AI adoption is hard to overstate. With its linguistic diversity, vast student population, and growing digital economy, the country offers OpenAI an unparalleled opportunity to refine its models for global use cases.
Final Thoughts by TheTrendingPeople
OpenAI setting up shop in India is more than just another foreign company entering the market—it is a recognition of India’s role in the global AI revolution. By combining cutting-edge AI technology with India’s talent pool, government support, and market scale, this partnership has the potential to redefine how AI is built, deployed, and democratized worldwide.
For Indian users, developers, and students, this could mark the beginning of an era where AI is not just imported but co-created in India, ensuring its benefits are deeply woven into the country’s growth story.