Reliance unveils $110B AI investment plan as India accelerates tech drive

Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire chairman of India's Reliance conglomerate, announced on Thursday a ₹10 trillion (roughly $110 billion) plan to build AI computing infrastructure across India over the next seven years.

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, Ambani stated that the investment will support gigawatt-scale data centers, a nationwide edge computing network, and new AI services integrated with Reliance's Jio telecom platform.

Ambani noted that Reliance has already started building multi-gigawatt data centers in Jamnagar, Gujarat, with over 120 megawatts of capacity expected to go live in the second half of 2026.

Ambani's commitment adds to the rising tide of AI investment in India. Earlier this week, the Adani Group announced plans to invest around $100 billion in AI data centers, while the Indian government anticipates over $200 billion in AI infrastructure spending in the next two years.

Global tech companies are also expanding their footprint. OpenAI has partnered with the Tata Group to develop roughly 100 megawatts of AI capacity in India, with plans to eventually scale that to 1 gigawatt.

Ambani emphasized that this push is crucial for India's technological self-sufficiency, stating the country “cannot afford to rent intelligence.” He added that Reliance aims to slash AI service costs as dramatically as it once reduced mobile data prices in India.

“The biggest constraint in AI today is not talent or imagination,” Ambani said. “It is the scarcity and high cost of compute.”

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Ambani said the build-out would be supported by Reliance's green energy capacity, which includes 10 gigawatts of surplus power from solar projects in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

Reliance plans to partner with Indian enterprises, startups, and academic institutions to integrate AI across industries, from manufacturing and logistics to agriculture, healthcare, and financial services.

Jio has already been forging AI partnerships. Last year, it secured a deal with Google to provide free Gemini AI Pro access to millions of its users in India.

Ambani also said Reliance plans to develop AI capabilities in multiple Indian languages to encourage adoption of the technology.

This aggressive push underscores how India's largest conglomerates are racing to establish a foothold in what is expected to become one of the country's biggest technology opportunities.