Anthropic Plans to Open India Office, Targeting Collaboration with Billionaire Ambani

Dario Amodei, the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, is currently in India to establish a foothold in Bengaluru and explore a collaboration with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, as reported by TechCrunch. This move highlights the AI startup’s goal to enhance its presence in its second-largest market after the U.S.

During histrip, Amodei intends to visit Mumbai to meet with Ambani and other executives from Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company and parent of the leading telecom provider, Reliance Jio, according to sources familiar with the situation. Anthropic is in discussions with Reliance regarding a possible partnership to improve access to its Claude AI assistant in India.

With over a billion internet users, India represents the world’s second-largest online market after China and has emerged as a key growth opportunity for Anthropic. Various Indian AI startups are currently utilizing Claude models for their services aimed at both local and U.S. clients. Moreover, India ranks second in web traffic to Claude’s site, trailing only the U.S., according to digital intelligence firm Similarweb.

In August, Reliance Industries entered into partnerships with major tech companies, including existing investors Google and Meta, to create AI infrastructure and enterprise solutions through its new unit, Reliance Intelligence. The conglomerate is also considering a collaboration with OpenAI, which introduced its sub-$5 ChatGPT plan in India earlier this year and expressed plans to set up an office in New Delhi by late 2025.

The anticipated partnership between Reliance and OpenAI was expected to be announced during OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s planned visit to India last month; however, Altman ultimately delayed the trip.

Reliance Industries has not responded to requests for comments.

Besides Mumbai, Amodei plans to visit New Delhi to engage with senior lawmakers and government officials. Sources suggest he may also meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Later this week, Amodei will be in Bengaluru to announce the opening of Anthropic’s new office on Thursday, as per sources. He will be accompanied by Guillaume Princen, head of Anthropic EMEA, and startups chief Daniel Delaney. Notable venture capital firms, including Accel and Lightspeed, are also planning dedicated sessions with Anthropic executives this week to share insights on how developers and startups can leverage Claude in their offerings.

The Claude app by Anthropic, available on both iOS and Android, saw a 48% increase in downloads in India in September compared to the previous year, reaching about 767,000 installs this year, according to Appfigures. Furthermore, consumer spending on the app in India surged 572% year-over-year, generating $195,000 in September alone, as reported by the data.

However, these figures in India still trail behind those in the United States, where downloads surged 91% year-over-year and consumer spending jumped 604%. In September, U.S. users spent $2.5 million on the Claude app, as noted by Appfigures. Globally, the app saw a 74% rise in downloads, reaching 1.01 million, alongside a 546% increase in consumer spending to $5.62 million during the same month.

In contrast to OpenAI, which focuses on establishing a sales and marketing presence alongside managing policy updates from New Delhi, Anthropic’s strategy through its Bengaluru office aims to target developers and startups.

According to a founder closely associated with Anthropic, who opted for anonymity, the company is witnessing its highest level of usage in India.

Alongside Anthropic and OpenAI, Perplexity is also looking to break into the Indian market. The company has partnered with Indian telecommunications giant Bharti Airtel to deliver its Perplexity Pro subscription to more than 360 million Airtel customers for a year. Additionally, Perplexity has tailored its offerings for local users by launching live transcripts for earnings calls of Indian stocks to boost engagement in the region.

Anthropic has not responded to requests for comments.