OpenAI Plans Mumbai, Bengaluru Offices During Sam Altman’s India Visit
OpenAI will set up new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru, sharpening its focus on India at a time when its chief executive, Sam Altman, is in New Delhi for the AI Impact Summit.
The expansion signals a shift in how the ChatGPT-maker views the country, no longer as only a vast user base but as a core market for talent, enterprise deals, and policy engagement.
The move comes amid a broader scramble by global AI firms to build deeper roots in India, drawn by its developer ecosystem, digital public infrastructure, and the rapid adoption of generative AI across industries.
Why India Is Moving To The Centre of OpenAI’s Map
From startups building AI-first products to large companies automating customer support and content workflows, India has emerged as one of OpenAI’s fastest-growing markets.
A local presence allows the company to work more closely with businesses, developers, and the government at a time when conversations around data, safety, and sovereign AI are intensifying.
Altman has repeatedly described India as capable of becoming a “full-stack AI leader,” a country that can build, deploy, and scale AI for real-world use. That confidence is visible on the ground: engineers experimenting with models in Bengaluru, founders integrating AI into everyday services, and students using generative tools as default infrastructure.
Two Cities, Two Strategic Roles
The choice of locations reflects a calibrated play. Bengaluru offers access to one of the world’s largest pools of AI and software talent, along with a dense startup network that is already building on OpenAI’s models.
Mumbai, home to India’s biggest financial institutions, media companies, and conglomerates, brings the company closer to its most valuable enterprise customers. Together, the two cities provide OpenAI with both builders and buyers of AI.
More Than an Office Announcement
The timing of the expansion, alongside the AI Impact Summit, underlines India’s rising geopolitical weight in the technology conversation. With global executives, policymakers, and researchers in attendance, the gathering is as much about investment and influence as it is about innovation.
For young developers lining up outside conference venues, hoping for a glimpse of Altman, the moment carries a quieter meaning: the world’s most influential AI companies are no longer operating from afar. They are arriving, hiring, and, increasingly, staying.
In that sense, the new offices are not just real estate. They are a marker of India’s transition from the back office of the tech world to the main stage.