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In a Race with OpenAI, Perplexity Sets Eyes on the Indian Market for Groundbreaking AI Expansion

Published: 18 Jul 2025
Perplexity, a rising AI star, is charting a unique growth trajectory by expanding into the high-potential Indian market, challenging OpenAI’s supremacy.

The global landscape of Artificial Intelligence is witnessing an intriguing confrontation. As OpenAI reinforces its hold in the US, Perplexity, a thriving AI start-up, is diving deep into the burgeoning Indian market - a key arena in the next round of AI revolution. Their focus is clear - mass adoption at a mammoth scale.

Perplexity’s strategic Indian gambit took a giant leap with their tie-up with Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator. This collaboration offers a complimentary 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription, worth $200, to all 360 million Airtel subscribers. This imperious move blocks other telcos from offering similar services, thereby further strengthening Perplexity’s foothold in the Indian market.

Their focus on India isn’t mere speculation; the intricacies are simplistic yet compelling. According to Q2 data from Sensor Tower, Perplexity’s downloads in India rocketed by 600% year-over-year to 2.8 million. In comparison, OpenAI’s ChatGPT increased by 587%, reaching 46.7 million downloads. Monthly active users on Perplexity’s app also surged by 640% in India, superseding ChatGPT’s growth rate of 350%.

Furthermore, Perplexity is capitalizing on its alliances in India to trump OpenAI in Western markets. One of its notable partnerships was with Indian fintech leviathan Paytm, thus integrating AI-enabled search within the platform. Paytm, boasting over 500 million downloads, is one of India’s largest platforms for digital transactions, thereby amplifying Perplexity’s reach.

In line with aggressive growth plans, Perplexity CEO, Aravind Srinivas, also plans to pump $1m into an Indian venture focusing on AI development, promising his dedicated involvement.

Simultaneously, Perplexity is contemplating enabling its AI search engine for students, a large demographic among the internet users in India. A blend of significant regional partnerships, large user-base and a dedicated team highlights Perplexity’s intent to surpass OpenAI by operating a smart expansion strategy in India’s burgeoning AI domain.