In a major expansion announcement, OpenAI plans to open new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru in 2026. This will be one of the company’s biggest international expansions outside the United States , and a strong signal that India is no longer just a market for technology — it’s becoming a core hub for the future of artificial intelligence.
This isn’t a random decision. It’s a calculated bet on scale.
India today has over 900 million internet users and more than 700 million smartphone users , making it one of the largest digital populations in the world. But the real story isn’t just the number of users — it’s how fast they adopt new technology.
India consistently ranks among the top countries globally in ChatGPT usage. From students using it for learning, to developers building applications, to startups integrating AI into their products — millions of Indians are already part of the generative AI ecosystem.
And the momentum is only growing.
India’s AI landscape has expanded rapidly over the past two years. The country now has 100,000+ AI professionals , and the talent pool is increasing every year. The Indian AI market is projected to cross $17 billion by 2027 , driven by aggressive adoption across sectors like fintech, healthtech, edtech, and SaaS.
Startups are embedding generative AI into customer support, automation, analytics, personalization, and product development. Enterprises are moving from experimentation to full-scale deployment. Government initiatives around digital infrastructure and AI policy are further accelerating the ecosystem.
For OpenAI, setting up offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru means three things:
• Closer collaboration with India’s massive developer and startup community
• Stronger enterprise partnerships and localized solutions
• Access to one of the world’s fastest-growing AI talent pools
But the bigger picture is even more important.
This move shows that India is shifting from being a technology consumer to becoming a technology co-creator . Global AI leaders are no longer just selling products here — they’re building here.
In the global AI race, talent, data scale, developer ecosystem, and adoption speed matter. India checks all four boxes.
And if companies like OpenAI are expanding aggressively into the country, it’s a clear signal:
The future of AI won’t just be built in Silicon Valley.
A big part of it will be built in India.
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