OpenAI chief Sam Altman plans India visit as AI leaders converge in New Delhi: sources

Summary

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to visit India in mid-February, his first visit to the country in nearly a year, TechCrunch has learned. The visit comes as New Delhi prepares to host a major AI summit expected to draw top executives from Meta, Google, and Anthropic. India is hosting its first major AI event — the India AI Impact Summit 2026 — in New Delhi between February 16 and 20, bringing together global technology leaders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei alongside key Indian business figures like Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, per the summit’s website. Altman is not currently listed as a confirmed attendee. But TechCrunch has learned that OpenAI is separately planning to host closed-door meetings on the sidelines of the summit in New Delhi, where Altman is expected to be present. The company is also hosting an OpenAI event in New Delhi on February 19, with venture capitalists and industry executives invited, one person familiar with the matter said. Altman’s visit has not been publicly announced and plans could still change, the sources said. Several other U.S. companies are also planning side events around the summit week. Anthropic is hosting a developers’ day in Bengaluru on February 16, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. Nvidia is also set to hold an evening event in New Delhi during the summit week, people familiar with the plans told TechCrunch. (The GPU-maker did not respond to requests for comment.) The cluster of events underscores how global AI firms are seeking to engage India’s enterprise customers, startup ecosystem, and developer community. The trip would mark Altman’s first visit to India in nearly a year, after he travelled to the country in February 2025. Altman had previously said he planned to return later in 2025 following OpenAI’s August announcement of a New Delhi office, but that trip did not take place. Altman’s visit also comes as India has emerged as a key growt...