Reliance Jio announced a significant expansion beyond its telecom roots, unveiling a range of new AI, cloud, and home entertainment offerings at the Reliance Industries 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held virtually on August 29. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries, and his elder son Akash Ambani, who runs the Jio business as Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, introduced new initiatives such as the Jio AI-Cloud Welcome Offer, Jio Brain, JioTV OS, JioHome, and JioTV+. These developments underscore Jio's strategy to diversify into AI-powered cloud services and the home entertainment market, mirroring the services offered by global tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, but with a focus on delivering these services at the lowest possible cost.
The Jio AI-Cloud Welcome Offer, set to launch around Diwali, will provide Jio users with up to 100 GB of free cloud storage. This initiative aims to make cloud storage and AI services more accessible to all users, enhancing digital experiences in India. “We plan to launch the Jio AI-Cloud Welcome Offer starting Diwali this year, bringing a powerful and affordable solution where cloud data storage and data-powered AI services are available to everyone everywhere,” said Mukesh Ambani during the AGM. For users needing more than 100 GB, Jio will offer competitive pricing options, positioning itself as a low-cost alternative to established cloud service providers.
Jio also introduced Jio Brain, an AI platform designed to support AI adoption within Jio and other Reliance companies. Mukesh Ambani emphasised that Jio Brain would focus on providing cost-effective AI solutions, stating, "Jio Brain will attempt to provide the lowest inference processing cost in the world." The platform aims to facilitate faster decision-making, more accurate predictions, and deeper customer insights. The Jio Brain and Jio AI-Cloud offerings are expected to leverage Nvidia’s advanced hardware for optimised performance and scalability in AI and cloud services.
Nvidia Partnership and Blackwell AI Chips
At last year’s AGM, Jio announced a strategic partnership with Nvidia to use its upcoming Blackwell AI processors for its cloud computing and AI infrastructure. These chips, expected to be among the most advanced processors for generative AI in the cloud, have been delayed but are still anticipated to deliver massive advancements in AI performance. Reliance will be the first company in India to gain access to these chips. The Jio Brain platform and Jio AI-Cloud are likely to leverage Nvidia's hardware to enhance their AI and cloud capabilities, enabling better processing power and more efficient AI workloads.
Expansion into Home Entertainment: JioTV OS, JioHome, and JioTV+
Akash Ambani also outlined Jio's entry into the home entertainment and smart living sectors with the launch of JioTV OS, JioHome, and JioTV+.
JioTV OS
JioTV OS is a new operating system designed for the Jio Set-Top Box (STB), aiming to provide a smoother and more personalised user experience. It supports Ultra HD 4K video, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos, enhancing the viewing experience at home. The OS integrates all popular apps, live TV, and shows into a single platform and includes the Hello Jio voice assistant, now powered by Generative AI technologies, for hands-free control.
JioHome
JioHome introduces IoT (Internet of Things) solutions to make homes smarter and more connected. Akash Ambani highlighted that JioHome will enable the integration of smart devices like lights, air conditioners, and security systems. The system supports the Matter standard for compatibility across various devices. The JioHome app will serve as the control hub, offering features like malware detection and guest Wi-Fi management.
JioTV+
JioTV+ consolidates live TV, on-demand shows, and OTT apps into a single platform, offering over 860 live TV channels and content from OTT platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar. It features a recommendation engine for personalised content, a Catch-up TV option to replay shows up to seven days later, and a Play-Pause feature for live TV. JioTV+ also includes interactive features like live cricket match stats and real-time social sharing.
Jio's Progress in 5G and Broadband
Mukesh Ambani provided updates on Jio True 5G, noting that over 85 per cent of the 5G radio cells in India are operated by Jio, with more than 130 million customers adopting the network in just two years. Jio is also one of India’s largest patent holders, with over 350 patents in 5G and 6G technologies.
He also discussed the growth of JioAirFiber, a 5G-based home broadband service launched last October, which reached one million customers in six months and another million in 100 days. "We are now challenging ourselves to add a million homes every 30 days,” Ambani said, aiming for 100 million home broadband customers and over 20 million small and medium businesses.
