OpenAI has announced a significant expansion of its India operations, unveiling new offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai while formally launching its nationwide program, OpenAI for India.
The company announced at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, signaling a deeper strategic push into what has quickly become one of its fastest-growing global markets.
Bengaluru and Mumbai Offices
The new offices will complement OpenAI’s existing hub in New Delhi, which the company established in August 2025 as its first on-the-ground presence in India. Through this expansion, OpenAI aims to deepen collaboration with developers, enterprises, academic institutions, and public-sector stakeholders nationwide.
Meanwhile, India has emerged as OpenAI’s second-largest market globally, with more than 10 crore weekly users of ChatGPT spanning students, educators, developers, and businesses. Notably, Indian students now form the platform’s largest student user base worldwide, underscoring the country’s central role in OpenAI’s growth trajectory.
What Is OpenAI for India
The OpenAI for India initiative aims to expand AI access, strengthen domestic capabilities, and accelerate digital transformation across sectors.
In outlining the vision, CEO Sam Altman said the program will prioritize infrastructure development, skills training, and strategic partnerships to build AI with India, for India, and in India. He further emphasized that India’s deep technology talent pool, rapid AI adoption, and supportive policy ecosystem position the country to help shape the future of democratic AI at scale.
Meanwhile, Altman attended the summit alongside senior leadership, including COO Brad Lightcap, Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane, and Chief Economist Ronnie Chatterji. Their presence underscored the strategic importance of the Indian market in OpenAI’s global expansion plans.
Enterprise and Certification Push
OpenAI is expanding its certification programs in India, with Tata Consultancy Services becoming the first participating organization outside the United States.
The initiative reflects growing enterprise demand for AI skills across India’s technology and services sectors.
Education Integration
In the education segment, OpenAI will provide more than one lakh ChatGPT Edu licenses to Indian institutions.
The first cohort includes:
. Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
. All India Institute of Medical Sciences
. Manipal Academy of Higher Education
. University of Petroleum and Energy Studies
. Pearl Academy
The program will embed AI directly into teaching, research, and campus operations through secure ChatGPT Edu access, structured onboarding, discipline-specific usage guidance, and responsible-use frameworks aligned with institutional policies.
In practice, AI tools will support workflows such as coding, simulations, analytics, case analysis, and research assistance. In parallel, OpenAI plans to host hackathons, build days, and industry-connect initiatives to link campus innovation with startups and enterprises, bridging academic experimentation with commercial application.
Strategic Context
India’s scale, talent density, and rapid digitization place it at the center of OpenAI’s global roadmap. Accordingly, the expansion into Bengaluru and Mumbai goes beyond symbolism. It reflects a long-term commitment to infrastructure, ecosystem development, and sustained market integration.
Taken together, OpenAI’s India strategy now spans physical offices, enterprise partnerships, certification pathways, and academic integration, positioning the company to embed itself deeply within the country’s accelerating AI growth story.
