OpenAI offers Indian customers $5 ChatGPT Go plan in expansion strategy

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Go, a new $5 subscription plan tailored exclusively for India, aiming to expand its AI services in one of the world’s largest internet markets.

Priced at about ₹399 ($4.60) per month, the plan offers more frequent interactions with the AI chatbot and greater image generation capacity compared to the free version, which will remain available.

Subscribers will also benefit from extended file upload limits, enhanced memory for more personalized responses, and deeper analytical capabilities, making it a more powerful upgrade for users seeking advanced features at an affordable rate.

India solidifies its position as a major hub for AI development 

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has described the new Go plan as the tech giant’s most recent significant development for its AI chatbot. This GPT-5 model will outperform earlier ChatGPT versions in coding and creative writing, and tackle more complicated tasks.

India has more than just the $5 ChatGPT Go plan, including ChatGPT Plus, a premium subscription designed for professionals and businesses seeking enhanced performance. In India, ChatGPT Plus is priced at ₹1,999 per month (around $22.93), slightly higher than the $20 monthly fee in the US.

Notably, India is emerging as a global hub for AI talent, backed by a $1.2 billion AI initiative to encourage developers to build large and small language models.

Key players in India’s AI market include US tech giants like Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc., as well as China’s DeepSeek. In 2022, OpenAI made waves with the launch of ChatGPT, sparking widespread excitement across the AI ecosystem. Seeing this momentum, CEO Sam Altman aims to boost user engagement through major improvements to the chatbot and global business expansion.

To grow in Japan, OpenAI partnered with SoftBank Group Corp., and it is also eyeing South Korea, opening a new office in Seoul to cater to a market with more paying ChatGPT subscribers than the US.

OpenAI eyes the Asian continent for its business expansion 

OpenAI recently announced that its paying business user base has grown to 3 million, up from 2 million in February. The San Francisco-based AI startup gained widespread attention in late 2022 with its consumer chatbot, ChatGPT, and expanded into workplace-focused versions the following year.

The company said the 3 million users include ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Team, and ChatGPT Edu customers. “There’s a strong connection between ChatGPT’s growth as a consumer tool and its adoption by businesses,” OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said. The platform supported 500 million weekly active users as of late March.

A source noted that OpenAI expects revenue of $12.7 billion this year. Last September, the company had projected an annual loss of $5 billion to $3.7 billion in revenue, according to another source familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity.

OpenAI has shown great interest in expanding its business in Asian countries. To support this claim, the tech giant reportedly established a legal entity in South Korea to entice more people to use the firm’s AI technology.

With OpenAI’s plan to construct an office in Seoul, the location will mark the tech giant’s third office in Asia. This is after establishing one in Japan and Singapore. Japan’s workforce comprises about 40 workers, while Singapore has 20 workers.

Jason Kwon, the Chief Strategy Officer at OpenAI, also traveled throughout Asia to meet with the continent’s government officials and several potential business collaborators to discuss how to expand AI infrastructure in Asia and how effectively OpenAI software can be used.

In a statement, Kwon asserted that Korea is a promising global AI market due to its strong AI ecosystem. The Chief Strategy Officer further stated that the continent has impacted everyone, from students to seniors, with AI technology ranging from hardware to software.

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