January 7, 2025
The company aims to train 10 million Indians in AI skills by 2030, focusing on empowering individuals in smaller cities and rural areas
This investment includes regional cloud expansions across India and enhancing infrastructure in collaboration with partners like Jio
Microsoft Chairman Satya Nadella highlighted India's rapid rise as a leader in AI innovation, driven by a robust developer community and technology services sector
Nadella met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed AI initiatives, India's entrepreneurial ambitions, and Microsoft's commitment to "making India AI-first"
Microsoft has announced a US$3 billion investment to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing capabilities in India, marking the tech giant’s largest single expansion. This move reflects India’s growing importance in the global AI landscape, with its rapidly evolving developer community and robust technology services sector.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the investment during a conference attended by startup founders and tech executives. Nadella emphasised AI’s transformative potential in India, noting the diffusion rate of AI across the country as “exciting.” However, the timeline for the investment remains unspecified.
This expansion will include enhanced regional cloud infrastructure. Microsoft’s Azure platform already operates across Central, South, West, and South-Central India. Partnerships like those with Jio will play a key role in this regional growth.
During his visit, Nadella also announced plans to train 10 million Indians in AI skills by 2030. This builds on previous commitments, including a 2024 programme to provide 2 million people in India with AI training by 2025, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas.
Nadella met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss AI initiatives, the India Stack, and the country’s entrepreneurial vision. The Prime Minister praised Microsoft’s ambitious investment plans, aligning with India’s tech-driven aspirations.
India’s prominence in AI innovation was further highlighted by recent visits from global tech leaders, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, AMD’s Lisa Su, and Meta’s Yann LeCun. Nadella noted that India’s developer community is creating solutions for local and global challenges, cementing its position as a key player in the AI ecosystem.
Microsoft’s $3 billion investment aligns with its broader global strategy. Earlier this year, the company committed $80 billion towards developing AI data centres worldwide. In India, this expansion will ensure people and organisations benefit from AI advancements, unlocking opportunities for innovation and economic growth.
Microsoft’s mission to empower individuals and organisations continues to drive these initiatives. Nadella underscored the importance of scaling India’s human capital to harness the immense potential of AI technologies. The company’s expanded skilling efforts include initiatives like “Code; Without Barriers,” which aims to certify 75,000 women developers in 2024.
India, with its burgeoning developer base and a supportive policy environment, is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI. Microsoft’s latest investments reaffirm its commitment to contributing to this journey.
Source: Business Standard