OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrived in India this week for a visit, emphasizing the importance of India as the company's second-largest market. It has been reported that OpenAI's user base in India has doubled over the past year.
During this visit, Altman met with India's Minister of Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and is expected to meet with Prime Minister Modi. At a discussion hosted by OpenAI, Altman praised India's potential in the AI sector, stating, "India should be one of the leaders in the AI revolution. It is impressive to see India's progress in areas such as chips, models, and applications."
Regarding the cost of developing AI models, Altman noted that while the costs of staying at the technological forefront continue to rise, the cost per unit of intelligence could decrease tenfold each year. Minister Vaishnaw emphasized that India has the capability to develop cost-effective AI models and expressed India's willingness to collaborate with OpenAI in the areas of GPUs, models, and applications.
It is worth noting that this visit coincides with the growing attention on China's AI lab, DeepSeek, which has achieved performance comparable to OpenAI at a lower cost, sparking industry discussions. Some observers believe that part of Altman's world tour is in response to the market impact brought by DeepSeek.
This is Altman's second visit to India since June 2023. Compared to his previous comments last year suggesting that other companies would find it difficult to develop products similar to ChatGPT, Altman has adopted a more open and positive attitude towards India's AI development, indicating an adjustment in OpenAI's global market strategy.
