Reliance Jio opens cloud PC service to all Indian internet users

Reliance Jio announced that its JioPC cloud-desktop service, originally limited to its own broadband subscribers, will now be available to any internet user across India. The offering streams a virtual PC from Jio’s cloud, with options that include up to eight virtual CPUs, 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, enabling even eight-year-old machines to handle modern AI workloads. Subscription fees start at ₹1,000 for a two-month plan, with annual rates of ₹4,000 for an 8 GB/500 GB tier and ₹5,000 for the 16 GB/1 TB tier.

Market analysts point out that the service could reshape how consumers purchase computing power, especially for budget-conscious households and students, though it must overcome cultural preferences for owned hardware and the need for reliable connectivity. Competition from low-cost refurbished PCs and the lack of on-device AI accelerators are additional challenges. The move reflects Jio’s strategy to lengthen PC replacement cycles by shifting processing to its data centres, potentially creating a new subscription-based computing market in India.