India’s richest man now wants to turn aging computers into AI-ready PCs
techcrunch ·
Reliance Jio, led by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has expanded its JioPC cloud service to any internet user in India, not just its own broadband customers. The service streams a virtual PC from Jio's cloud, offering configurations up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, with plans starting at about $11 for two months. Jio aims to let users with computers up to eight years old run modern AI applications without upgrading hardware, leveraging India's over 65 million installed PCs and lengthening replacement cycles. Analysts view this as a move to shift consumers from hardware ownership to subscription-based computing, though they doubt it will replace traditional PCs. Challenges include the need for a stable internet connection, competition from refurbished PCs, and the absence of dedicated AI accelerators in the service's stated specs. The success of this model depends on whether Indians accept cloud computing as a daily utility rather than a temporary workaround.
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