Google announced that it will provide its Gemini AI service free of cost to over 500 million Reliance Jio users in India, as global tech firms intensify their push to capture the country’s fast-growing AI market. The company said it has partnered with Reliance Intelligence, a joint venture between Reliance Industries and Meta, to offer the AI Pro plan, which includes Gemini 2.5 Pro, expanded NotebookLM access for research, and 2 TB of cloud storage.
Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani said the collaboration aims to make India “AI-empowered.” Initially, the services—worth ₹35,100 ($396) per user—will be available to Jio 5G users aged 18–25 for 18 months, before extending to the entire Jio base. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the move would help expand AI accessibility across India.
India’s massive Gen Z population of 377 million, driving $860 billion in spending, makes it a key market for digital platforms. Similar partnerships are emerging, with Airtel and Perplexity offering free Perplexity Pro access and OpenAI launching a free ChatGPT Go plan for Indian users, underscoring India’s growing role in the global AI ecosystem.