OpenAI's Sam Altman plans India visit for AI summit

According to TechCrunch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to visit India in mid-February. The planned trip, which sources noted could still change, coincides with the India AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled to run from February 16 to February 20 in New Delhi. While Altman is not currently listed as a confirmed speaker, TechCrunch reported that OpenAI is planning to host closed-door meetings on the sidelines of the summit, where Altman is expected to be present. Additionally, one person familiar with the matter said OpenAI is hosting an event in New Delhi on February 19, with venture capitalists and industry executives invited.

The concentration of events highlights how U.S. artificial-intelligence firms are seeking to engage India’s enterprise customers, startup ecosystem, and developer community. Other companies are also planning events around the summit week. Anthropic is hosting a developers’ day in Bengaluru on February 16, while Nvidia is set to hold an evening event in New Delhi. This convergence comes as India becomes a key growth market. For instance, Google and Perplexity have struck partnerships with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, respectively, to bundle premium subscriptions for telecom users. OpenAI itself has been expanding its local footprint, hiring for roles in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Although India is ChatGPT’s largest market by downloads, converting users into paid subscribers has been a challenge. To drive uptake, OpenAI introduced “ChatGPT Go”—a lower-priced subscription plan for ChatGPT priced under $5—offering it free for a year.

Beyond software, the upcoming summit represents a significant push for the country’s hardware and infrastructure goals. The country’s IT minister stated that the event could help attract as much as $100 billion in investment. While global technology firms like Google are expanding their local infrastructure, the development of physical infrastructure for cloud computing—specifically data-centers—faces domestic constraints. These challenges, including uneven power availability and high energy costs, could impact the pace of infrastructure development.

Why it matters

The planned visit underscores how global artificial-intelligence firms are seeking to engage India’s enterprise customers, startup ecosystem, and developer community. For OpenAI, the trip is a key step as it looks to expand the use of its software products by businesses.