Marking a significant strategic expansion into one of the world’s fastest-growing technology markets, artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced it will open its first office in India in early 2026. The new hub will be located in Bengaluru, a city widely regarded as India’s Silicon Valley, positioning the company to engage directly with the nation’s vast technical talent pool and burgeoning AI ecosystem. The move signals Anthropic’s intent to compete more aggressively on the global stage and capitalize on the surging demand for its AI models, particularly its flagship product, Claude.
The decision underscores India’s critical role in the future of AI development and adoption. The country already ranks as the second-largest market for consumer usage of Claude, trailing only the United States, with a notable concentration of users leveraging the tool for complex programming and technical tasks. By establishing a physical presence, Anthropic aims to deepen its ties with Indian enterprises, support a vibrant startup community, and align with government initiatives focused on deploying AI for broad societal benefit. The expansion is part of a larger international push for the company, with the Bengaluru office set to be its second in the Asia-Pacific region following the opening of its Tokyo location.
Tapping a Deep Well of Talent
Anthropic’s choice of India is heavily influenced by the country’s extensive and highly skilled workforce. In a statement, CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei highlighted the importance of India’s technical talent and governmental support for artificial intelligence. The concentration of over 4 million IT professionals in Bengaluru alone presents a rich resource for both recruitment and customer engagement. The company noted that a disproportionately large amount of Claude usage in India is for sophisticated technical work, such as mobile user interface development and debugging web applications. This existing user behavior demonstrates a clear market fit for Claude’s well-regarded coding capabilities.
The high rate of AI adoption among Indian workers further solidifies the market’s potential. According to some reports, over 90% of workers in India already utilize AI tools, making it the leading country for AI adoption globally. This widespread integration of AI into daily professional workflows creates a receptive environment for advanced AI solutions like Claude. By establishing a local office, Anthropic can more effectively tailor its offerings to the specific needs of this large and technically adept user base, fostering deeper integration and identifying new use cases within India’s dynamic IT service sector.
High-Level Engagement and Strategic Alliances
To spearhead the company’s entry into the market, CEO Dario Amodei is visiting India to engage with key stakeholders. His itinerary includes meetings with public officials and enterprise partners to discuss pathways for scaling AI in a beneficial and democratic manner. These discussions are expected to cover how Claude can be adapted and deployed to serve a wide array of use cases across both public and private sectors. Reports suggest Amodei may also meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other cabinet ministers, signaling the strategic importance of this expansion at the highest levels.
Paul Smith, Anthropic’s Chief Commercial Officer, emphasized the promise of India’s innovation ecosystem, praising its vibrant startup and developer communities. The company plans for the Bengaluru office to act as a resource center for India’s startup scene, helping new firms build AI-powered products and services. This collaborative approach aims to embed Anthropic within the local tech fabric, moving beyond a simple customer-vendor relationship to become a foundational partner in the country’s technological growth.
The Competitive AI Landscape in India
Anthropic’s expansion into India places it in direct competition with other major AI players, most notably its chief rival, OpenAI. The move is widely seen as a direct challenge to OpenAI, which has also been building its presence in the country and plans to open an office in New Delhi. With both companies vying for market share, India is emerging as a critical battleground in the global AI race. The competition extends beyond these two firms, with Google’s Gemini and other AI startups also targeting the Indian market with competitive offerings.
While ChatGPT currently has a larger user base in India, Anthropic is banking on Claude’s distinct strengths to carve out a significant niche. The model’s proficiency in coding has already attracted a strong following among India’s developers and tech enterprises, with companies like CRED reportedly using it for core coding workflows. By establishing a local presence, Anthropic can provide more direct support to these enterprise clients and better understand their evolving needs, potentially closing the gap with competitors.
Localization and a Focus on Social Good
Expanding Language and Cultural Fluency
A cornerstone of Anthropic’s strategy for India is a deep commitment to localization. The company is actively working to enhance Claude’s support for a wide range of Indic languages. While already available in several major languages like Bengali, Tamil, and Telugu, Anthropic plans to provide improved performance in Hindi and add support for nearly a dozen more, including Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and Urdu. This linguistic expansion is crucial for making its AI tools accessible to a much broader segment of the Indian population, extending its reach beyond English-speaking urban centers to diverse regions and communities.
AI for Societal Advancement
Beyond commercial applications, Anthropic has stated a clear intention to work with enterprises, startups, and nonprofit organizations to deploy AI for social impact. The company has identified key sectors such as education, healthcare, and agriculture as areas where its technology can provide significant benefits. This focus on “beneficial AI” aligns with the Indian government’s priorities and could help differentiate Anthropic in a crowded market. By partnering with local organizations, the company aims to develop AI solutions that address pressing societal challenges and contribute to equitable development across the country.
Bengaluru: The Natural Choice for an AI Hub
The selection of Bengaluru for Anthropic’s first Indian office was a deliberate one. The city is the undisputed technology capital of India, home to a dense ecosystem of multinational tech corporations, a thriving startup scene, and world-class academic institutions. This environment provides unparalleled access to talent, potential customers, and innovative partners. The city’s established infrastructure and reputation as a global IT hub make it an ideal launchpad for Anthropic’s ambitions in the country and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
The office, set to open in early 2026, will be Anthropic’s second in Asia, demonstrating a broader strategy of international growth fueled by rising demand for its models outside the United States. While specific details about hiring and the scale of operations have not yet been released, the establishment of a physical office represents a long-term commitment to the Indian market. It provides a base for a dedicated team to drive enterprise sales, support local developers, and conduct research tailored to regional needs, ensuring that Anthropic’s growth in India is both rapid and sustainable.