India, June 18 -- In a Bengaluru coworking space, a two-year-old SaaS startup is getting ready for a product demo with a large enterprise client. The team is fixing last-minute bugs, testing new features and experimenting with AI tools, all while serving existing customers.

And yet, no server room humming in the background. Instead, the startup taps into computing power on the cloud, using as much or as little as it needs.

What was once a tool used mainly to reduce technology costs has become a critical building block for businesses of all sizes. As startups increasingly rely on the cloud to launch products, serve customers and develop AI capabilities, demand for cloud services has surged across the country.

India's $17.88 Bn cloud mar...