AsianFin -- OpenAI said Friday it will establish its first office in India, marking a major step in its expansion into one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets.

The San Francisco-based company plans to open a corporate office in New Delhi in the coming months and build a local team, days after rolling out a ChatGPT subscription plan tailored for Indian users.

The move underscores India’s growing importance for OpenAI as both a market and a policy hub. In April, the company hired former Truecaller and Meta executive Pragya Mishra as its public policy and partnerships lead in India, and tapped former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly as a senior advisor to help navigate discussions with New Delhi on AI regulation.

India, home to the world’s largest pool of tech talent and a rapidly digitizing economy, has become a key battleground for global AI players. Microsoft-backed OpenAI is seeking to strengthen ties with Indian businesses, developers and policymakers as demand for generative AI tools surges.