India second-largest market in terms of user base, developer activity: Open AI

Srinivas Narayanan, the company’s Vice President of Engineering, said at a recent event that India is one of the fastest-growing markets for OpenAI

by e4m Staff
Published: Nov 6, 2025 12:24 PM | 1 min read

India has emerged as OpenAI’s second-largest market, both in terms of user base and developer activity, shared Srinivas Narayanan, the company’s Vice President of Engineering.

Speaking at IIT Madras Alumni Association’s Sangam 2025 summit in Bengaluru, Narayanan underscored the importance of developing India-specific AI models that reflect the country’s cultural diversity and unique data needs. He welcomed the rise of Indic models designed to solve problems more relevant to Indian users.

Narayanan said that while smaller language models may serve specific tasks, larger ones remain essential for more complex, adaptable applications. He noted that India is one of the fastest-growing markets for OpenAI, with developers and enterprises increasingly adopting its platforms to build scalable solutions.

The company has recently introduced IndQA, a culturally focused dataset created with 250 experts across 12 Indian languages, aimed at evaluating AI performance in local contexts. OpenAI, valued at USD 500 billion, has also been strengthening its enterprise presence and partnerships with startups in India.

On policy, Narayanan stressed the need for regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation rather than restrict it, especially as AI continues to evolve rapidly. He said OpenAI engages closely with the Indian government through its local policy representative to ensure responsible and effective technology development.

OpenAI is also assembling a lean India-based team and investing in infrastructure to support local usage and global applications.