Anthropic Plants Flag in India as AI Gold Rush Intensifies

1.4 billion people make for a compelling business case. That's exactly what Anthropic discovered when it announced Monday the opening of its first Indian office in Bengaluru—its second in Asia after Tokyo.

The timing isn't coincidental. The AI company revealed its India revenue has doubled since October on an annualized basis, signaling that enterprise adoption is accelerating beyond Silicon Valley's expectations.

The Enterprise Angle

While consumer AI gets the headlines, it's enterprise customers driving Anthropic's India growth. Companies there aren't just experimenting—they're integrating AI into core business operations. This mirrors what we've seen in the US, but with a twist: India's cost-conscious business culture demands immediate ROI from AI investments.

OpenAI and other rivals are also eyeing the subcontinent, creating what industry insiders call "the great AI land grab of 2026." But India isn't just another market to conquer—it's becoming a testing ground for AI at scale.

Why Bengaluru Matters

The choice of Bengaluru over Mumbai or Delhi reveals Anthropic's strategy. Known as India's Silicon Valley, the city hosts over 4,000 tech companies and produces more software engineers than any other Indian city. It's where global tech giants test products before worldwide launches.

For Anthropic, this means access to both talent and market insights. Indian engineers aren't just implementing AI—they're adapting it for a market that speaks 22 official languages and operates across vastly different economic strata.

The Broader Chess Game

Anthropic's move signals a shift in global AI strategy. While US companies focused on domestic markets and China built its own AI ecosystem, India emerged as the swing market—large enough to matter, open enough to compete in.

This has implications beyond revenue. India's IT outsourcing industry, worth $245 billion annually, is rapidly upskilling in AI. Today's service providers could become tomorrow's AI innovators, potentially disrupting the current US-China AI duopoly.

What's at Stake

For investors, India represents the next frontier of AI monetization. For tech workers globally, it's a reminder that AI expertise is becoming geographically distributed. For consumers worldwide, it means AI products will increasingly be shaped by diverse global perspectives, not just Silicon Valley assumptions.