OpenAI has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian government’s IndiaAI Mission to roll out its first international education platform—OpenAI Academy. The initiative is part of a broader effort to offer artificial intelligence (AI) training through both the OpenAI Academy and the IndiaAI FutureSkills portal.
This launch marks a significant milestone for OpenAI, which is opening its first such programme outside the US. India, reportedly the second-largest user base of ChatGPT, is increasingly seen as a key player in the global AI ecosystem.
As per the agreement, OpenAI will provide AI training modules in English, Hindi, and four other regional languages. These modules will be integrated into public sector training programmes, potentially widening access to AI upskilling across government departments and public services.
Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, noted that India has been "actively building" AI technologies, suggesting the company sees clear potential in the Indian tech ecosystem.
Access to computing power—a long-standing bottleneck in India’s AI development—has also been addressed under the IndiaAI Mission. According to Abhishek Singh, CEO of the mission, around 34,000 GPUs have now been made available at a cost of under ₹1 per GPU hour. That’s significantly cheaper than many international rates, possibly making AI experimentation more feasible for Indian developers and researchers.
In addition, the IndiaAI team has been working on the AI Kosh platform, which now offers domain-specific datasets, pre-trained models, and sandbox environments for testing ideas. This setup is expected to give innovators a leg-up in developing AI applications.
In line with privacy and localisation trends, OpenAI recently introduced data residency for Indian users. Data from ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu and the OpenAI API platform will now be stored locally within India. While this may reassure some users, it also aligns with India’s growing focus on digital sovereignty.
As part of the rollout, OpenAI has extended its global AI for Impact Accelerator Program to India. The initiative will now support 11 Indian nonprofit organisations working on AI-based social solutions. These groups will receive a total of $150,000 in API credits, alongside structured mentoring and early access to OpenAI tools.
The effort is being coordinated with The Agency Fund, Tech4Dev, and Turn.io, organisations already involved in tech-for-good initiatives.
