Anthropic, the U.S.–based artificial intelligence firm behind the Claude AI assistant, has officially opened its first India office in Bengaluru on February 16, 2026, marking a major milestone in the company’s global expansion. The announcement came on the opening day of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where global tech leaders are gathering to discuss the future of AI in society and business.
India: Claude’s Second-Largest Market
According to company statements, India now ranks as the second-largest market globally for Anthropic’s Claude AI, behind only the United States. Nearly half of Claude usage in India is attributed to computer and mathematical tasks — such as coding, building applications, and shipping software — highlighting strong adoption among developers and tech firms.
This aligns with earlier data showing India accounted for about 7.2 % of global Claude usage in 2025, up against the U.S.’s roughly 21.6 % share.
Strategic Focus on Talent & Local Partnerships
The new Bengaluru office — Anthropic’s second Asia-Pacific hub after Tokyo — will focus on hiring local talent across engineering, research, and business roles to deepen development efforts in the region.
Irina Ghose, Managing Director of India at Anthropic, said:
“India represents one of the world’s most promising opportunities to bring the benefits of responsible AI to vastly more people and enterprises.”
Ghose, who leads the Bengaluru team, was appointed to the role in late 2025 and brings over 30 years of experience in scaling technology operations in India, including leadership at Microsoft India.
Partnerships Target Key Sectors
Anthropic also announced partnerships across enterprise, education, and agriculture, aiming to deploy Claude-powered tools for real-world impact. These collaborations include:
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A pilot with Pratham, helping over 1,500 students in 20 schools use Claude-powered learning tools, with plans to scale to 100 schools by end of 2026.
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Work with Central Square Foundation to enhance EdTech and digital education access.
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Support for Adalat AI, a WhatsApp-based legal services assistant offering case updates and document summarisation in Indian languages.
Madhav Chavan, Co-Founder and CEO of Pratham, said:
“AI tools like Claude give us new ways to reach students who do not have access to advanced educational resources.”
Growing Commercial Footprint
Anthropic says its India revenue run-rate has doubled since October 2025, reflecting rising business demand and enterprise integration across sectors.
The company also continues to improve Indian language support for Claude, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, and Urdu — to broaden accessibility across India’s diverse linguistic landscape.
Why it Matters:
India’s importance in the AI landscape has surged alongside global tech investment and rapid adoption of tools like Claude and ChatGPT. Hosting the India AI Impact Summit and seeing major AI firms on Indian soil underscores the country’s role as a key market for AI innovation, talent, and enterprise deployment.
