Amazon on Wednesday announced fresh investments of $35 billion across its India businesses by 2030, alongside an ambitious plan to quadruple cumulative exports from the country to $80 billion. Exports enabled by the e-commerce major have already surpassed $20 billion.
Speaking at the Amazon Smbhav Summit, Amit Agarwal, senior vice-president for emerging markets, said the company has invested $40 billion in India between 2010 and 2024. “We have digitised 12 million small businesses, enabled over $20 billion in cumulative exports and, in 2024 alone, supported 2.8 million indirect and seasonal jobs,” he said.
Agarwal added that Amazon, already one of India’s largest foreign investors, expects to significantly expand its economic footprint over the next five years. “We estimate that we are going to invest over $35 billion incrementally across our businesses,” he said. By 2030, Amazon expects to support 3.8 million jobs, including 1 million new roles, and introduce AI tools to more than 15 million small businesses.
Russel Grandinetti, senior vice-president for international stores, said India will remain among Amazon’s largest global marketplaces. “The growth potential here makes India extremely important for us. Many of the products and innovations we build in India make Amazon stronger elsewhere,” he said.
AI at the core
Amazon said artificial intelligence will be a key driver of its next phase of growth in India. Grandinetti described current AI advancements as “perhaps the largest technological change since the advent of the commercial internet”.
The company is already deploying AI across operations, with the impact expected to deepen. On the seller side, Amazon’s AI-based seller assistant helps merchants access tools and capabilities more easily, while generative features enable the creation of product detail pages and advertising content. On the customer side, Amazon highlighted Rufus, its AI-driven shopping assistant, which offers personalised responses to queries and enhances product discovery.
Boost to exports
To accelerate export-led growth, Amazon launched a manufacturing-focused initiative, Accelerate Exports, aimed at connecting digital entrepreneurs with reliable manufacturers and helping factories build global e-commerce businesses.
As part of the programme, Amazon will conduct on-ground onboarding drives across more than 10 manufacturing clusters, including Tirupur, Kanpur and Surat. The company also announced a partnership with the Apparel Export Promotion Council of India to scale the initiative nationwide.