Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Zoho Opens Its Self-Built Cloud Infrastructure to Students
Zoho is a company that makes software.
It built many of the computer systems needed to run its products instead of depending on large cloud companies.
These systems store information, run programs, and manage users.
Zoho now lets developers use some of this infrastructure through a platform called Catalyst.
The company plans to make Catalyst free for students.
This could help students create and launch applications without paying infrastructure bills.
Zoho says its products are developed in India and that customer data is stored according to regional requirements.
Sridhar Vembu also says developers should use AI as a helper but continue to understand the software they create.
Zoho says it built its own cloud infrastructure instead of relying on Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud.
The infrastructure includes databases, identity management, messaging, search, storage, and computing systems.
Zoho provides access through Catalyst, its serverless platform, which is also used by outside developers.
The company plans to offer Catalyst free to students so they can build and deploy applications without infrastructure costs.
Co-founder Sridhar Vembu urged developers to use artificial intelligence carefully without losing their understanding of software systems.
- Who
- Zoho and its co-founder and chief scientist, Sridhar Vembu.
- What
- Zoho is expanding access to its internally built cloud infrastructure through Catalyst and plans to make the platform free for students.
- When
- The student plan was announced in recent statements; Vembu's related data-hosting comments appeared in a September 2025 post.
- Where
- Zoho develops its products in India, is headquartered in Chennai, and operates data centres in India and other locations worldwide.
- Why
- Zoho says it wants developers and students to build applications without infrastructure costs while retaining control over its systems and data.
Zoho's Approach
Alternative Approaches
Cloud infrastructure
Zoho's Approach
Zoho says building and operating its own infrastructure gives it direct control over its hardware, software, and data.
Alternative Approaches
Major cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure offer externally managed infrastructure, although the articles do not present statements from those companies.
AI-generated software
Zoho's Approach
Sridhar Vembu says developers should use AI tools but must not surrender their understanding of the software they build.
Alternative Approaches
The cited developer workflow relies heavily on Claude Code to generate specifications, code, tests, and other engineering tasks; the articles do not include that developer's response to Vembu.
- Company
- Zoho
- Co-founder and chief scientist
- Sridhar Vembu
- Developer platform
- Catalyst, Zoho's serverless platform
- Student access
- Zoho plans to make Catalyst free for students, but has not stated when the offer begins or how it will work.
- Infrastructure
- Zoho says its services run on company-owned hardware and internally developed software frameworks built on open-source technologies.
- Indian data centres
- Zoho had data centres in Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai, with another planned for Odisha, according to Vembu's September 2025 post.
- Global operations
- Zoho operates more than 18 data centres worldwide and has offices in more than 80 countries.
