New Delhi: OpenAI has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government’s IndiaAI Mission to launch the OpenAI Academy in India. As part of the agreement, the partnership will deliver artificial intelligence (AI) training content through both the OpenAI Academy and the IndiaAI FutureSkills portal. It also includes public sector training programmes available in English, Hindi and four regional languages. This marks the platform’s first international rollout.
With the second-largest number of ChatGPT users, India ranks among the top countries actively building AI technologies, said Jason Kwon, chief strategy officer at OpenAI.
Speaking at the event, Abhishek Singh, chief executive officer (CEO) of the IndiaAI Mission, acknowledged that one major challenge in advancing AI development in India has been access to computing power. However, he noted that this has been addressed by “providing around 34,000 GPUs (graphics processing units) at affordable rates—less than a dollar per GPU hour—significantly lower than global prices.”
Regarding datasets, Singh highlighted that the AI Kosh platform offers comprehensive datasets across various domains, along with tools, models, and “a sandbox environment to help innovators experiment and build AI solutions.”
Through a virtual note, Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister for information and broadcasting and electronics and information technology, said that this partnership “is a significant step towards advancing our shared goal of democratizing access to knowledge and technology.”
The launch follows Kwon’s global tour of engaging with policymakers on AI regulation and deployment.
Last month, OpenAI also introduced data residency for Indian users, ensuring that data from ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu and the OpenAI API platform is now stored locally within India.
This week, Open AI also extended its global AI for Impact Accelerator Program to India, marking the next phase of its initiative under the OpenAI Academy umbrella.
As part of this expansion, 11 selected nonprofit organizations in India will receive a new round of API credits, bringing the total value of the technical grants to $150,000. This effort is in collaboration with philanthropic partners such as The Agency Fund, Tech4Dev and Turn.io.
The programme offers nonprofits hands-on technical assistance, structured cohort-based learning and early access to OpenAI tools to help them implement AI-driven solutions for social impact.
