OpenAI has announced plans to open its first office in India, establishing operations in New Delhi as part of a wider Asia expansion strategy. The move comes alongside the launch of ChatGPT Go — a budget-friendly subscription priced at ₹399 per month (approximately $4.75) — designed to convert India's vast base of free users into paying customers.
New Delhi Office to Drive Local Partnerships
The New Delhi office will serve as the hub for building local partnerships across business, developer, academic, and government communities. OpenAI has already begun assembling a team in India to strengthen cooperation and ensure its AI products are adapted to the specific needs of Indian users.
"India has all the ingredients to become a global AI leader — amazing tech talent, a world-class developer ecosystem, and strong government support through the IndiaAI Mission," said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. "Opening our first office and building a local team is an important first step in our commitment to make advanced AI more accessible across the country."
India: OpenAI's Second-Largest Market
India, the world's second-largest internet and smartphone market, represents a major growth opportunity for OpenAI. The country has seen weekly active ChatGPT users grow more than fourfold in just one year, and India holds the largest student user base on ChatGPT globally.
Monetising that massive audience remains one of the central challenges. OpenAI faces an entrenched copyright dispute with Indian publishers, alongside the broader difficulty of converting price-sensitive free users to paid plans — a challenge that ChatGPT Go directly addresses.
Competition Intensifies from Perplexity and Rivals
OpenAI's India push comes as competition in the market sharpens. Perplexity moved quickly to counter, partnering with Bharti Airtel to offer its 360-plus million subscribers one year of free Perplexity Pro — a direct strike at ChatGPT's subscriber growth in South Asia. Google and Meta are also active in the market, making India one of the most contested AI battlegrounds in the world.
Government Backing Through IndiaAI Mission
India's government has been actively working to position the country as a global AI hub through the IndiaAI Mission. Indian IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed OpenAI's entry, calling it "a critical step toward building trusted and inclusive AI" for all Indian citizens.
OpenAI already has a regional presence across Asia, with offices in Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. The New Delhi office extends that footprint at a moment when Asia is playing an increasingly decisive role in the global AI race.
