Amazon flags rapid India uptake of Amazon Now as Big Tech ramps AI spend; Ctruh raises $2.5m
India’s digital economy took center stage on Thursday as Amazon spotlighted rapid gains for its ultra-fast delivery service in the country, global tech giants detailed fresh AI-fueled spending, and domestic deeptech firm Ctruh secured new capital to scale.
Amazon President and CEO Andy Jassy said Amazon Now, which launched last year in India, is seeing orders increase 25% month over month, with Prime members tripling their shopping frequency once they start using the service. The offering is now available to tens of millions of customers across nine countries, with more markets expected.
India has long been a focal point for Amazon, which has committed multiple rounds of investment to its ecommerce operations and cloud arm, AWS. Global earnings underscored the industry’s AI pivot. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai called 2026 a “terrific start” after the company’s first-quarter net profit jumped 81% year on year to $62.6 billion, a figure that included the net effect of a $36.9 billion gain on equity securities.
Quarterly revenue rose 22% to $109.9 billion from $90.2 billion a year earlier, marking an 11th consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth. Alphabet said AI momentum, particularly in cloud, is prompting increased investment to sustain the trend.
Meta reported what founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg termed a “milestone quarter” and raised its 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $125 billion–$145 billion from a prior $115 billion–$135 billion. The higher outlay is driven by rising component costs—particularly memory—and a need to secure infrastructure for next-generation digital products.
“We are investing aggressively to meet our infrastructure needs and ensure we maximise our strategic flexibility over the coming years,” Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said on the earnings call. Microsoft also posted strong top- and bottom-line growth for the third quarter of its 2026 fiscal year, citing AI-driven gains in cloud.
Microsoft Cloud revenue reached $54.5 billion in the quarter, up 29% from a year earlier, as the company continues to ramp capital investments. Amid the global push, Indian deeptech startup Ctruh announced a $2.5 million seed round, taking total capital raised to $4.5 million.
The round was led by Inflection Point Ventures, with Avinya Ventures as co-lead. Ctruh said the funds will accelerate research and development, advance product innovation, and support international expansion. As part of this next phase, the company is set to establish on-ground sales operations in the United States.
Beyond fast-scaling tech, India’s entrepreneurial grit was on display in the food sector. Beena Gandhi, who has run the Dakshinayan South Indian restaurant chain for 21 years, maintains strict quality checks across six outlets in Mumbai and Ahmedabad—starting each day by tasting a single idli with sambar.
She also oversees factory production of Dakshinayan’s masalas and ready-to-eat products launched six months ago. Together, the developments point to a market where consumer adoption, infrastructure buildout, and early-stage innovation are advancing in tandem—with Amazon signaling more Amazon Now rollouts, Big Tech escalating AI investments, and Indian startups stepping up for international growth.