Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei is currently in India, signaling a significant push by the AI startup to expand its presence in what has become its second-largest market globally, trailing only the United States. During his visit, Amodei plans to establish a new office in Bengaluru and is actively exploring a strategic partnership with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, India’s most valuable company and parent of the nation’s leading telecom operator, Reliance Jio. This potential collaboration aims to broaden access to Anthropic’s Claude AI assistant across India.

India, with over a billion internet subscribers, stands as the world’s second-largest online market after China, making it a crucial growth region for AI companies. Anthropic has already observed substantial engagement from the country; several Indian AI startups utilize its Claude models for both domestic and international clientele. Furthermore, digital intelligence firm Similarweb reports that India accounts for the second-highest share of traffic to Claude’s website, underscoring its market importance.

The move by Anthropic comes as Reliance Industries has been aggressively building its AI capabilities. In August, Reliance partnered with major technology firms, including existing investors Google and Meta, to develop AI infrastructure and enterprise solutions through its new unit, Reliance Intelligence. The Mumbai-headquartered conglomerate had also previously considered a collaboration with OpenAI, which introduced its under-$5 ChatGPT plan in India earlier this year and intends to open a New Delhi office in late 2025. A Reliance-OpenAI partnership was reportedly anticipated during OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s postponed visit to India.

Beyond corporate engagements, Amodei’s itinerary includes high-level meetings in New Delhi with top lawmakers and senior federal government officials. Sources indicate that he is also expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the strategic national importance of Anthropic’s expansion efforts.

Later in the week, Amodei will be in Bengaluru to formally announce the opening of Anthropic’s new office. He is accompanied by Anthropic EMEA head Guillaume Princen and startups chief Daniel Delaney, emphasizing the company's focus on the region. Concurrently, prominent venture capital funds like Accel and Lightspeed are hosting dedicated sessions with Anthropic executives, providing insights for developers and startups on leveraging Claude for their offerings, thereby fostering the local AI ecosystem.

Data from Appfigures reveals the growing adoption of Anthropic’s Claude app in India. In September, the app recorded a 48% year-over-year increase in downloads, reaching approximately 767,000 installs for the year. Consumer spending on the app in India also surged dramatically, by 572% year-over-year, generating $195,000 in September alone. While these figures demonstrate strong growth, they remain modest compared to the United States, where downloads rose by 91% and consumer spending jumped by 604% in the same period, with U.S. users spending $2.5 million on the Claude app. Globally, the app saw 74% growth in downloads to 1.01 million and a 546% rise in consumer spending to $5.62 million in September.

Anthropic’s strategy for India notably differs from that of competitors like OpenAI. While OpenAI aims to establish a sales and marketing setup and oversee policy updates from New Delhi, Anthropic plans to primarily target developers and startups through its Bengaluru office. This approach aligns with insights from an anonymous founder working closely with Anthropic, who noted that a significant portion of the AI company’s usage originates from India.

The Indian AI market is also attracting other global players. Perplexity, an AI search startup, is actively looking to capitalize on this growth. It has partnered with Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel to offer its Perplexity Pro subscription to over 360 million Airtel customers for 12 months. Moreover, Perplexity has refined its product for local users, including the launch of live earnings call transcripts for Indian stocks, to enhance engagement within the country.