Reliance Jio opens cloud PC service to turn old computers AI-ready
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio expands JioPC to all internet users in India, turning 8-year-old computers into AI machines starting at 1,000 rupees.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Reliance Jio opens JioPC to any internet user in India without requiring its broadband service.
- Streams a virtual PC from the cloud with up to 8 vCPUs, 16GB RAM, and 1TB storage.
- Brings modern AI capabilities to computers as old as 8 years without hardware upgrades.
- Subscription plans start at ₹1,000 for two months up to ₹5,000 for a 12-month tier.
Reliance Jio, the telecom giant led by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has expanded its JioPC cloud PC service beyond its own broadband subscribers, allowing any internet user across India to sign up as a standalone subscriber regardless of their telecom provider.
The service streams a virtual computer straight from Jio's cloud data centers to an existing user's computer. According to the company, this setup gives machines as old as eight years the necessary computing power to run modern artificial intelligence applications without requiring users to purchase new hardware or replace their current devices.
Subscription pricing begins at 1,000 rupees (about $11) for a two-month period. A 12-month subscription is available at 4,000 rupees (around $42) for an 8GB RAM and 500GB storage configuration, or 5,000 rupees (about $53) for the 16GB RAM and 1TB storage tier. IDC data estimates that India had over 65 million active PCs in 2025, with the installed base projected to approach 69 million by the end of 2026.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The strategic push arrives as replacement cycles stretch across India. IDC senior market analyst Bharath Shenoy noted that consumers and small businesses now replace computers every five to six years, compared to four to five years in 2022, while enterprises have extended replacement cycles to about four years. Cloud computing allows Jio to continuously scale computing capacity without demanding desk upgrades from users.
"Jio is broadening its value proposition by opening JioPC to non-Jio users, while also challenging the traditional hardware upgrade cycle."
Prabhu Ram, CyberMedia Research
Prabhu Ram, vice president of industry research at CyberMedia Research in Gurugram, suggested that JioPC could establish a parallel market where users pay for computing capability rather than repeatedly funding hardware replacements. However, he emphasized that the model is unlikely to replace conventional PCs entirely, serving instead as a price-sensitive tier for households and students.
Promoting cloud PCs in a massive emerging market like India highlights a concerted strategy to bypass upfront hardware barriers and accelerate artificial intelligence adoption. By shifting processing workloads to data centers, telecom operators can capture recurring software and cloud revenues while easing the financial burden on price-conscious consumers.
Despite these prospects, Jio faces distinct hurdles, including traditional consumer preferences for hardware ownership over recurring subscription models. The service also requires stable internet connectivity, leaving it vulnerable to network disruptions and competition from inexpensive refurbished PCs in smaller towns.
Source: TechCrunch
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