OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman is planning to visit India in mid-February, marking his first trip to the country in nearly a year, as New Delhi prepares to host a major international AI summit, according to information obtained by TechCrunch.
Visit Tied To India AI Impact Summit 2026
India is set to host its first large-scale AI event, the India AI Impact Summit 2026, in New Delhi from February 16 to 20. According to the summit’s website, the event is expected to bring together senior executives from global technology companies and major Indian businesses.
Confirmed participants include Jensen Huang, Sundar Pichai, and Dario Amodei, alongside Indian business leaders such as Mukesh Ambani. Altman is not currently listed as an official attendee.
OpenAI Events Planned On The Sidelines
TechCrunch has learned that OpenAI is planning to host closed-door meetings in New Delhi on the sidelines of the summit, with Altman expected to attend. The company is also set to hold a separate OpenAI-hosted event in New Delhi on February 19, inviting venture capital firms and industry executives, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Altman’s visit has not been publicly announced, and people familiar with the plans said details could still change.
Cluster Of AI Industry Events Around Summit Week
Several other U.S.-based AI companies are organizing events during the same week. Anthropic confirmed to TechCrunch that it will host a developers’ day in Bengaluru on February 16.
Nvidia is also planning an evening event in New Delhi during the summit week, according to people familiar with the plans.
The concentration of events highlights efforts by global AI firms to deepen engagement with India’s enterprise customers, startup ecosystem, and developer base.
Context Of Altman’s Return To India
If the visit goes ahead, it would be Altman’s first trip to India since February 2025. He had previously said he planned to return later that year following OpenAI’s announcement in August of a New Delhi office, though that visit did not occur.
India’s Growing Importance To U.S. AI Firms
Altman’s planned visit comes as India has become an increasingly important market for U.S. AI companies. In recent months, Anthropic announced the opening of an office in Bengaluru and appointed former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose to lead its local operations.
At the same time, Google and Perplexity have entered partnerships with Indian telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to bundle premium AI subscriptions for large user bases.
Featured image credits: Heute.at
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