Anthropic Expands to India: Plans Bengaluru Office, Eyes Partnerships, and Boosts AI Language Capabilities

Anthropic plans to open India office, eyes tie-up with billionaire Ambani | TechCrunch

Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei is in India this week, with plans to set up an office in Bengaluru and explore a partnership with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, TechCrunch has learned. The move signals the AI startup's push to deepen its presence in its second-largest market after the U.S. Amodei is expected to visit Mumbai to meet Ambani and other senior executives at Reliance Industries, India's most valuable company and the parent of the nation's top telecom operator, Reliance Jio, people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. Anthropic has been in discussions with Reliance for some time over a potential partnership to expand access to its Claude AI assistant in India, the people said. India -- the world's second-largest online market after China, with more than a billion internet subscribers -- has emerged as an important growth region for Anthropic. Several Indian AI startups already use its Claude models in their products for both domestic and U.S. clients. India also accounts for the second-highest share of traffic to Claude's website after the U.S., according to digital intelligence firm Similarweb. In August, Reliance Industries partnered with major technology companies, including its existing investors Google and Meta, to build AI infrastructure and enterprise solutions through its new unit, Reliance Intelligence. The Mumbai-headquartered conglomerate had also explored a potential collaboration with OpenAI, which rolled out its under-$5 ChatGPT plan in India earlier this year and announced plans to open an office in New Delhi later in 2025. That Reliance-OpenAI partnership was expected to be announced during OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's planned visit to India last month, but Altman ultimately postponed the trip. Reliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment. TechCrunch has also reached out to OpenAI for comment. Alongside Mumbai, Amodei is visiting New Delhi to meet top lawmakers and senior federal government officials, sources said. He is also expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, two people familiar with his trip plans told TechCrunch. Later in the week, Amodei will be in Bengaluru to announce Anthropic's office opening on Thursday, sources told TechCrunch. Anthropic EMEA head Guillaume Princen and startups chief Daniel Delaney are also accompanying him. Prominent venture funds, including Accel and Lightspeed, are also hosting dedicated sessions with Anthropic executives this week to share insights on how developers and startups can leverage Claude for their offerings. Anthropic's Claude app, available on iOS and Android, recorded a 48% year-over-year increase in downloads in India in September, reaching about 767,000 installs this year, according to Appfigures. Consumer spending on the app in India surged 572% year-over-year, generating $195,000 in September alone, the data showed. The India figures, however, remain modest compared with those in the United States, where downloads rose 91% year-over-year and consumer spending jumped 604%. U.S. users spent $2.5 million on the Claude app in September, per Appfigures. Globally, the app saw 74% growth in downloads to 1.01 million and a 546% rise in consumer spending to $5.62 million in the same month. Unlike OpenAI, which aims to establish a sales and marketing setup while overseeing policy updates from New Delhi, Anthropic plans to target developers and startups with its office in Bengaluru. Anthropic is seeing its largest usage coming from India, a founder who works closely with the AI company told TechCrunch, requesting anonymity. Alongside Anthropic and OpenAI, Perplexity is also looking to tap India's market. The company has partnered with Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel to offer its Perplexity Pro subscription to over 360 million Airtel customers for 12 months. The AI search startup has also refined its product for local users, including by launching live earnings call transcripts for Indian stocks to attract more engagement from India. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.

Anthropic to open first India office as rival OpenAI boosts presence in the country

Rival OpenAI is also ramping up its presence in India and is reportedly looking to open a new office. Anthropic on Wednesday said it plans to open its first office in India, entering a market where artificial intelligence usage is growing and its rival OpenAI is already making headway. The Amazon-backed AI firm, valued at $183 billion, said it plans to open an office in Bengaluru in early 2026. It will be the company's second office in Asia after Tokyo, Japan. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, is visiting India this week to meet with public officials and enterprise partners, the company said. AI adoption among both consumers and businesses is expected to ramp up quickly in India. More than 90% of workers in the county already use AI, according to Boston Consulting Group, marking the highest adoption in the world. "India is compelling because of the scale of its technical talent and the commitment from the Indian government to ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence reach all areas of society, not just concentrated pockets," Amodei said in a press release. Anthropic said its focus in India will be deploying AI for "social impact" in sectors like education and healthcare, as well as "supporting key industries through strategic partnerships." Claude is Anthropic's key product and challenger to OpenAI. Anthropic said it would launch "enhanced performance" in Hindi for Claude, as well as nearly a dozen other languages spoken in India. Anthropic said India currently ranks second in terms of Claude usage, behind the U.S. The company's expansion into India comes as rival OpenAI has stepped up its push into the country this year. OpenAI launched a low-cost subscription plan for its flagship ChatGPT product and is also reportedly planning to open an office in the country. Anthropic has some catching up to do, however. Claude was downloaded 118,000 times in August in India, versus 10.3 million ChatGPT downloads and 6.4 million of Perplexity, according to analytics firm Appfigures. The India push is part of a broader global expansion plan for Anthropic as it grows its international workforce and looks to onboard more enterprise customers.

Anthropic Announces Bengaluru Office, CEO Dario Amodei to Visit India | AIM

The Bengaluru office will be the company's second in the Asia Pacific region after Tokyo, which is expected to open soon. Anthropic on Wednesday announced plans to expand its global operations to India, with a new office set to open in Bengaluru in early 2026. The Bengaluru office will be the company's second in the Asia Pacific region after Tokyo, which is expected to open soon. The move aims to support India's growing AI ecosystem and meet rising international demand for its AI model, Claude. CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei is visiting India this week to meet government officials and enterprise partners as part of the company's regional expansion efforts. "India is compelling because of the scale of its technical talent and the commitment from the Indian government to ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence reach all areas of society, not just concentrated pockets," said Amodei. "There is deep alignment between the challenges India is tackling and our mission as a company, from deploying AI across diverse languages and contexts, to building frameworks for responsible governance." Anthropic said its India operations will focus on deploying AI for social impact in education, healthcare, and agriculture, and on supporting key industries through partnerships with enterprises, nonprofits, and startups. The Bengaluru office will also back India's startup ecosystem and emerging technology companies. According to Anthropic's Economic Index Report, India ranks second globally in consumer usage of Claude, behind the United States. A large share of usage in India is for technical and programming-related tasks such as mobile UI development and web app debugging. Indian companies like CRED use Claude for critical coding work. Paul Smith, Anthropic's chief commercial officer, said, "Our expansion comes at a pivotal moment when Indian enterprises and startups are seeking AI models they can trust." He further added that companies need systems that deliver advanced performance while ensuring the safety and reliability necessary to run large-scale business operations. Anthropic also plans to strengthen Claude's Indic language capabilities as part of its India expansion. The company said it will enhance performance in Hindi and nearly a dozen additional languages, including Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and Urdu, to broaden AI accessibility and support public sector adoption across the country. Anthropic recently named Rahul Patil as its new chief technology officer. He will oversee engineering across product, compute, infrastructure, inference, data science, and security. Meanwhile, Anthropic's rival, OpenAI, will open its first office in New Delhi later this year, marking its entry into India.

Anthropic Says It Will Open Its First India Office in Bengaluru Next Year

Anthropic is yet to introduce local currency pricing for Claude in India Anthropic, the artificial intelligence startup backed by Alphabet's Google and Amazon.com, said on Tuesday it will open its first office in India next year, aiming to tap into the country's growing appetite for AI tools. The move comes as AI adoption in India accelerates, fueled by rising enterprise tech spending, a growing pool of skilled talent, and increasing investor interest. India, home to nearly a billion internet users, is becoming a major battleground for global AI players. The Asian country has emerged as Anthropic's second-largest consumer market for its chatbot Claude, which competes with OpenAI's ChatGPT and is noted for its strong coding capabilities. Anthropic currently offers both free and paid tiers of Claude in India but has not yet introduced local currency pricing. Co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei is scheduled to visit India this week to meet with public officials and corporate partners, the $183 billion (roughly Rs. 16,24,797 crore) company said. The new office will be located in Bengaluru, widely recognized as the technology hub of India, and operations will start early 2026, Anthropic said. The location would serve as its second office in the Asia Pacific region after Tokyo, it added. OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, was formally registered as a legal entity in India in 2025 and plans to open its first India office in New Delhi later this year. OpenAI and Anthropic face strong competition in India from rivals such as Google's Gemini and AI startup Perplexity, both of which have launched offerings that make their advanced plans free for many users in the market. Last month, Anthropic announced plans to triple its international workforce to meet a surge in demand for its Claude AI models outside the United States.

Anthropic to expand India ops, enhance Indic language AI models

The large language model (LLM) startup, valued at $183 billion after a $13-billion funding round in September, will open an office in Bengaluru next year and build a local team, with plans to partner with conglomerates, healthcare institutions, education organisations and startup accelerators to develop locally relevant AI applications. Anthropic is also looking for partners to help develop and manage sovereign AI capabilities within the Indian regulatory framework. Anthropic is expanding its operations in India, which has become the second-largest market globally for the San Francisco-based maker of Claude AI models, joining peers OpenAI and Perplexity in strengthening their presence in the South Asian country. The large language model (LLM) startup, valued at $183 billion after a $13-billion funding round in September, will open an office in Bengaluru next year and build a local team, with plans to partner with conglomerates, healthcare institutions, education organisations and startup accelerators to develop locally relevant AI applications. Anthropic is also looking for partners to help develop and manage sovereign AI capabilities within the Indian regulatory framework. Cofounder and chief executive Dario Amodei, who is visiting India this week, said India's AI ecosystem is expected to play a central role in how this frontier technology develops globally. "There is deep alignment between the challenges India is tackling and our mission as a company, from deploying AI across diverse languages and contexts to building frameworks for responsible governance. India's AI ecosystem will play a central role in how AI develops globally and democratically, and we're looking forward to working with organisations in India to pave a path for how beneficial AI can be scaled in a way that serves everyone," said Amodei, who was a senior researcher at OpenAI before founding Anthropic in 2021. Despite being its second-largest market, India's share in Claude usage is far behind the US, which accounts for 21.6% of the total global usage. India's share stands at 7.2%, followed by Brazil, Japan and South Korea at 3.7% each, according to Anthropic's Economic Index released in September. Anthropic is investing heavily in enhancing Claude's capabilities in Indic languages, including Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam and Urdu. The company will roll out improved Hindi performance for government and enterprise interfaces and train its models on nearly a dozen additional Indic languages to drive adoption among public sector and enterprise users. "We want to partner with all kinds of businesses...from startups to global outsourcing firms and system integrators to help them use Anthropic to achieve their global ambitions," Paul Smith, Anthropic's chief commercial officer, told ET in an interaction. Anthropic has positioned itself as an enterprise AI player, in contrast to rivals OpenAI and Google that are also going big on end-consumer use cases for their generative AI tools. "We also want to ensure that Claude is accessible to as many people in India as possible, whether for healthcare, education, personal use, or business applications. India is also an incredible source of talent, and we want to tap into that talent market," he added. Paul Smith Hiring plans Smith said the company wants to build and invest in its India operation as a holistic business, and that its hiring will reflect these plans. "There are three dimensions to the investments we want to make in India. First, India is a highly technology-forward market that should have broad access to Claude, so we need to have people in place to support customers and government entities. Second, India is home to some of the world's largest companies and a vibrant startup ecosystem with global ambitions, which means we need local teams, including our applied AI and forward-deployed engineering teams, to support those businesses," Smith said. Anthropic will also hire across a number of support functions such as finance and sales, he said. Smith joined Anthropic in August after a 30-year career with Microsoft, Salesforce and ServiceNow. The company is also looking to hire a head for its India operations. A "disproportionately high" share of Claude usage in India, the company said, is for technical tasks and software development such as mobile UI creation and web app debugging. India has become one of the fastest-growing markets for generative AI companies, prompting several global players to scale up their presence here. Perplexity cofounder and chief executive Aravind Srinivas told ET in a recent interview that India has become the San Francisco-based company's largest market by user base following its partnership with Bharti Airtel. The AI-powered search engine plans to launch an India fund to back startups and open an engineering office in the country, Srinivas said. In August, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the ChatGPT maker will open a local office in New Delhi as it builds a team across policy, sales and marketing functions in India.

India's AI ecosystem will play central role in how AI develops globally: Anthropic CEO on opening India office

Claude AI expansion focuses on Indic languages and responsible deployment The global frontier of artificial intelligence is finding a new home in India. Anthropic, the U.S.-based AI research company behind the Claude family of models, announced that it will open an office in Bengaluru early next year - a move that marks both a business expansion and a recognition of India's growing influence in the global AI landscape. The announcement came during Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei's visit to India this week, where he emphasized that India's combination of technical talent, policy momentum, and social diversity makes it a cornerstone for the next phase of AI development. "India is compelling because of the scale of its technical talent and the commitment from the Indian government to ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence reach all areas of society, not just concentrated pockets," Amodei said. "India's AI ecosystem will play a central role in how AI develops globally and democratically." The company's upcoming Bengaluru office, its second in the Indo-Pacific after Tokyo, will act as a regional hub for research, partnerships, and localized AI innovation. Anthropic plans to hire a local team focused on adapting its technologies to India's unique linguistic and social landscape. The Bengaluru base will also strengthen ties with India's fast-growing enterprise and startup ecosystem. Paul Smith, Anthropic's Chief Commercial Officer, said the move comes at a time when Indian organizations are looking for "AI models they can trust." As businesses across sectors embrace automation and AI-driven decision-making, the demand for systems that balance performance with safety and reliability has become critical. "We see remarkable promise in India's innovation ecosystem," Smith noted. "The vibrant startup and developer communities alongside Indian enterprises are building solutions that impact millions of lives globally." Anthropic's entry into India is also a statement of confidence in the country's developer base. India already ranks second globally in the use of Anthropic's Claude models, surpassed only by the US, with much of that usage focused on technical and software development tasks. From mobile UI design to web app debugging, Indian developers have embraced Claude as a creative and coding assistant. The company has more than 300,000 business customers worldwide, and nearly 80 percent of consumer usage now comes from outside the U.S. Indian startups like Emergent, an AI coding platform, have already integrated Claude into their workflows, helping democratize app development and make "vibe coding" accessible to new creators. A key focus area for Anthropic's India strategy is expanding Claude's capabilities in Indic languages. The company is investing in deeper multilingual support, starting with enhanced performance in Hindi and plans to extend to other major Indian languages such as Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Malayalam. This expansion is aimed at making AI more inclusive and accessible, especially in education and public sector applications. Such localization is not just a technological goal but a social one. By enabling AI to "speak" the languages of India, Anthropic hopes to make its models useful in classrooms, local governance, and rural innovation programs. Beyond commercial partnerships, Anthropic's beneficial deployments team will collaborate with Indian government bodies and nonprofits to use AI as a tool for societal progress. Early initiatives are expected to focus on public health analytics and AI-assisted education programs that could reach millions of students across the country. The company also plans to work with accelerators and social enterprises to support locally-led innovation - positioning AI as an enabler of India's broader development agenda. Anthropic's expansion comes at a time when India's AI sector is rapidly maturing - bolstered by national initiatives such as the IndiaAI Mission and the Digital India framework. The convergence of policy, research, and entrepreneurship makes India a vital part of what Amodei calls a "democratic and global AI future." Anthropic's public benefit corporation status, alongside its Long-Term Benefit Trust (LTBT) governance model, underlines that mission. It allows the company to pursue long-term social good even when it might not align with short-term shareholder gains, a philosophy that aligns with India's emphasis on inclusive technology growth. As the world debates how to balance AI's promise and perils, Anthropic's bet on India signals a new chapter, one where innovation and responsibility can coexist, powered by a diverse, multilingual, and ambitious nation at the heart of the AI revolution.