Reliance Jio, led by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, is opening its cloud PC service to any internet user in India, positioning it as a way to turn aging computers into AI-ready machines without hardware upgrades. On Wednesday, Reliance Jio expanded JioPC, originally launched in July 2025, beyond its own broadband subscribers, making the service available as a stand-alone subscription to users with an internet connection, regardless of their telecom or broadband provider.

The service streams a virtual PC from Jio's cloud to an existing computer, with plans offering up to eight virtual CPUs, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Jio says the service can give even computers as old as eight years access to the computing power needed for modern AI applications, without users replacing their machines or installing new hardware. Plans start at ₹1,000 (about $11) for two months, while a 12-month subscription costs ₹4,000 (around $42) for 8GB of RAM and 500GB of storage, or ₹5,000 (about $53) for the 16GB and 1TB configuration.

According to estimates from IDC, India had more than 65 million PCs in use in 2025, including about 34 million consumer and 31 million commercial machines. The installed base is expected to approach 69 million by the end of 2026. Ambani's move comes amid widening replacement cycles, with consumers and small businesses in India typically replacing their PCs every five to six years, compared with four to five years in 2022.

Prabhu Ram, vice president of the industry research group at CyberMedia Research, said JioPC could create a market where consumers pay for computing capability rather than repeatedly spending on hardware upgrades. However, he does not expect that model to replace conventional PCs. JioPC, he noted, could create a parallel, price-sensitive tier for households, students, and others who may not have considered buying a new AI-capable PC.

Indians have traditionally preferred owning their hardware over paying for PCs as a service. Jio will have to convince consumers that a recurring subscription is worth giving up some of the advantages of a conventional PC, including the ability to keep working without the internet. That dependence could be particularly prominent in smaller cities and towns where affordable computing has the most room to grow.

The Challenge Ahead

JioPC requires a stable internet connection, and any disruption can affect the user experience, unlike a conventional computer. Additionally, there is competition at the low end from refurbished PCs, which allow consumers to own inexpensive hardware without remaining dependent on connectivity. Jio's pitch of an 'AI-ready' PC through JioPC also challenges the conventional idea of what an AI PC looks like.

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