Google partners with Ambani’s Reliance to offer free AI Pro access to millions of Jio users in India

In a propulsion to grow its AI footprint successful emerging markets, Google has partnered with billionaire Mukesh Ambani–led Reliance Industries to bundle its AI Pro subscription with Jio 5G plans astatine nary other cost.

On Thursday, Google announced a concern with Reliance, India’s largest institution by marketplace capitalization, to connection its AI Pro subscription escaped for 18 months to eligible Jio users. The confederation comes conscionable 3 months aft Perplexity teamed up with Reliance’s arch-rival Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, to supply escaped entree to Perplexity Pro for Airtel’s 360 cardinal subscribers.

India, the world’s astir populous federation and the second-largest net marketplace with implicit a cardinal users, has agelong been an irresistible people for planetary tech firms. While the state has not yet seen a large homegrown AI breakthrough, U.S. tech giants progressively presumption it arsenic the adjacent large frontier — a spot to stitchery divers data, refine models, and trial AI usage cases that could aboriginal standard crossed different emerging markets. The latest concern betwixt Google and Reliance is simply a wide reflection of that strategy.

The Jio connection volition initially scope users aged 18 to 25 earlier expanding to each Jio subscribers nationwide, the companies said. It includes entree to Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro exemplary via the Gemini app, higher limits for generating AI images and videos with Nano Banana and Veo 3.1, expanded usage of Notebook LM for survey and research, and 2 TB of unreality retention crossed Google Photos, Gmail, Drive, and WhatsApp backups.

“This concern volition besides research bringing much delightful section experiences powered by AI to Jio users,” the Indian telecom elephantine said.

The 18-month connection is valued astatine ₹35,100 (about $396), the companies said. Google’s AI Pro program usually costs ₹1,950 (around $22) per period successful India and includes a escaped one-month trial.

Beyond the user offer, Reliance besides partnered with Google Cloud to broaden entree to its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) successful India. Reliance’s AI subsidiary, Reliance Intelligence, volition go a strategical go-to-market spouse for Google Cloud to grow Gemini Enterprise crossed Indian organizations, and volition make its ain pre-built AI agents for the platform.

“Today’s announcement volition enactment Google’s cutting-edge AI tools successful the hands of consumers, businesses, and India’s vibrant developer community,” Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said successful a prepared statement.

At its 48th yearly wide gathering successful precocious August, Reliance announced partnerships with its investors Google and Meta to fortify its AI infrastructure successful India done a recently created subsidiary, Reliance Intelligence. Reliance and Meta besides committed to mounting up a associated task with a combined concern of ₹8.55 cardinal (approximately $100 million), with a 70/30 ownership split.

Earlier this week, Google rival OpenAI announced plans to connection free entree to its sub-$5 ChatGPT Go plan to each users successful India starting November 4. The entry-level tier, launched locally successful August, has since expanded to 17 countries crossed Asia.

AI heavyweights similar OpenAI and Anthropic are besides setting up store successful India, hoping to larn much astir section users and turn their scope successful the world’s biggest emerging market.

Earlier this year, Google offered Indian students a escaped one-year subscription to its AI Pro plan. That promotion ran until September 15.

India has already helped thrust adoption of U.S.-led AI platforms and ranks among the apical user markets for tools specified arsenic Google’s Nano Banana, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Anthropic’s Claude. Extending escaped entree to paid AI versions could further accelerate adoption and cement India’s presumption arsenic a cardinal maturation user marketplace for generative AI offerings. However, it remains to beryllium seen however India volition construe into meaningful gross for these AI companies erstwhile the existent question of escaped bundling offers runs its course.

“Through our collaboration with strategical and semipermanent partners similar Google, we purpose to marque India not conscionable AI-enabled but AI-empowered – wherever each national and endeavor tin harness intelligent tools to create, innovate and grow,” Ambani said.