According to a report by SAP-Oxford Economy, around 93% of Indian companies expect to see positive returns from their AI investments within three years. India leads the world in trust in AI, investing $31 million this year and ROI expected to rise from 15% to 31% by 2027
Published date – November 24, 2025, 2:34 p.m.
New Delhi: About 93% of Indian companies expect to see positive returns from investments in artificial intelligence (AI) within three years, the highest confidence rate among all countries surveyed, according to a report released on Monday.
Indian companies have already reported an average return on investment for AI of 15% in 2025, which is expected to reach 31% within two years, according to a report co-authored by German multinational software company SAP with Oxford Economics.
Indian companies have invested $31 million in AI this year, higher than the global average of $26.7 million, with a focus on software, infrastructure, talent and consulting.
Organizational investments in AI are expected to increase by an average of 33% over the next two years, leading to ROI expected to reach 15% ($5.7 million on average) this year and double to 31% ($15.3 million) in two years.
“AI is transforming the way businesses operate by not only automating tasks but also enabling smarter, faster decisions across mission-critical processes,” said Philipp Herzig, chief technology officer at SAP SE.
56% of Indian respondents are satisfied with their current ROI, and 58% expect their AI initiatives to achieve positive ROI faster than other technology investments, the highest in the world.
Sindhu Gangadharan, MD of SAP Labs India and Head of SAP Customer Innovation Services at SAP, said India has over 600,000 professionals and accounts for 16% of the global AI talent pool, making it a true AI powerhouse.
“This rich digital talent pool will enable companies to move from pilot to performance and embed AI into decision-making, operations and customer experience,” she added. The report is based on a survey of 1,600 senior leaders from eight countries, including 200 respondents from India.
