Reliance Jio plans to launch AI cloud PCs for its 475 million subscribers

Reliance Jio Infocomm, India’s largest telecom service provider, plans to introduce cloud-based AI personal computers for its over 475 million subscribers, chairman Aakash Ambani has said.

He said Jio Platforms Limited (JPL), the telecom and digital subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), is developing a cloud-based AI personal consumer product for Jio subscribers.

Users can use the product to create compute-intensive AI applications, Ambani said, adding that it is compatible with any computer screen. 

Ambani announced the plan on Saturday, while speaking at the Mumbai Tech Week. He said Jio is committed to offering affordable and scalable AI solutions, and that cloud PCs would allow users to build high-compute AI applications.

Besides the consumer application, JPL is building JioBrain, which would offer Machine Learning (ML-as-a-Service) for enterprises, he said.

Jio Brain is a distributed machine (ML) learning platform that can be used to train and apply ML on network edge and service provider cloud, according to Jio's website.

Ambani said JioBrain will do away with the costly infrastructure needed for AI business and that with JioBrain offering ML-as-a-service, users won’t need any expertise in building an AI business. JioBrain will be launched in the coming quarters, he added.

Jio’s cloud PC launch would give a big boost to the market for personal computers in the country, which is comparatively small compared to other markets. PC sales in India stood at around 4.49 million in Q3 of 2024, which is just 6.5 per cent of the global sales of 68.8 million units. 

Ambani did not give details of the cloud PC launch, but said it will be priced in a way to suit “hundreds of millions” of potential customers. Developers will be able to access the cloud PC platform for “less than 30 per cent” of the actual cost, he added.