Anthropic, the San Francisco–based AI startup behind the Claude AI assistant, is making a major move into India. Co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei is in the country this week to establish a new office in Bengaluru and explore a strategic partnership with Reliance Industries, according to a TechCrunch report.
Amodei is expected to meet Mukesh Ambani and senior Reliance executives in Mumbai to discuss expanding Claude’s presence in India. Sources revealed that both companies have been in talks for months about integrating Anthropic’s AI models into Reliance’s growing AI infrastructure ecosystem.
India, home to over a billion internet users, has quickly become Anthropic’s second-largest market after the U.S.. Data from Similarweb shows India contributes the second-highest traffic to Claude’s website globally. Several Indian startups already use Claude’s large language models for AI-driven solutions aimed at both local and global clients.
In August 2025, Reliance launched a new AI-focused unit, Reliance Intelligence, partnering with Google and Meta to build enterprise-grade AI systems. The conglomerate had also explored ties with OpenAI, which plans to open a New Delhi office next year. However, that partnership remains pending after Sam Altman postponed his India visit last month.
Amodei’s itinerary includes meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lawmakers, and tech investors in New Delhi, before heading to Bengaluru on Thursday to formally announce Anthropic’s India office. Senior Anthropic executives, including Guillaume Princen and Daniel Delaney, are accompanying him.
Anthropic’s Claude app has seen rapid adoption in India, with 767,000 installs and a 572% surge in consumer spending year-over-year, according to Appfigures. While India’s spending remains below the U.S. ($195,000 vs. $2.5 million in September), growth momentum is strong.
Unlike OpenAI’s policy- and marketing-driven approach, Anthropic aims to engage Indian developers and startups, offering access to its models for localized innovation. The company’s growing footprint reflects India’s rising influence in the global AI ecosystem—joining OpenAI and Perplexity AI, which recently partnered with Bharti Airtel to expand its reach among Indian users.
As Amodei’s visit unfolds, Anthropic’s India push signals the start of a new chapter in the country’s rapidly evolving AI landscape.
