OpenAI to open first India office in New Delhi: Expands presence in fastest-growing market; hiring begins for local roles

BENGALURU: OpenAI on Friday said it will open its first India office in New Delhi later this year, marking a significant step in expanding its presence in one of its fastest-growing markets.

The company has already set up an Indian entity and begun hiring for local roles.India has emerged as ChatGPT’s second-largest market after the United States and is among its fastest expanding, the company said. Weekly active users in the country have risen more than fourfold over the past year. India also ranks among the top five developer markets globally on the OpenAI platform and has the largest student user base worldwide.Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said the expansion reflects the company’s long-term commitment to the market. “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.

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 and to build AI for India, and with India,” he said.

Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the move, calling it a reflection of India’s growing digital and AI leadership. “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,” he said.OpenAI said its India office will focus on strengthening relationships with government, businesses, developers and academic institutions while tailoring products for the local market.

Job listings on its careers page already show openings for account director roles in enterprise, digital natives and strategic sales, all based in India.The expansion comes on the back of a series of initiatives rolled out for Indian users. These include ChatGPT Go, a Rs 399 per month subscription with UPI payments, OpenAI Academy in partnership with the IT ministry and enhanced Indic language support in GPT-5.