Microsoft Logs In $3-Bn Investment Drive

I am really excited to announce the single largest expansion we have ever done in India by putting additional $3 bn to expand our Azure capacity. The company is doing a lot of regional expansions in India - Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft

Bengaluru: IT major Microsoft will invest $3 billion in India for the expansion of cloud and AI infrastructure in the country over next two years, the company’s chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said on Tuesday. This investment aims to accelerate AI innovation in the country, which is pivotal for achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of becoming a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047. The tech giant also announced to train and skill 10 million people in AI by 2030. The company has already empowered 2.4 million Indians, including civil servants, college students and people with disabilities, with AI skills.

There is a fantastic momentum in India where people are pushing for a multi-agent kind of deployment. “I am really excited to announce the single largest expansion we have ever done in India by putting $3 billion additional dollars to expand our Azure capacity. The company is doing a lot of regional expansions in India,” Nadella said.

Nadella said that Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and organisation in India drives the company.

“To that end it is about being able to ensure that the human capital of this country is able to continue to scale, take advantage of immense opportunity and potential the technology has. That’s why we are very excited to announce today our commitment, which we have always had, to train 10 million people around AI skills by 2030,” Nadella said.

On Monday, PM Modi met Nadella, saying he was glad to know about the tech giant’s ambitious expansion and investment plans in the country.

At an event here, Microsoft Research Lab launched an ‘AI Innovation Network’, a groundbreaking initiative designed to accelerate the transition from research to real, usable business solutions.

Furthermore, Microsoft and SaaSBoomi have joined hands to propel India’s AI and SaaS ecosystem towards a trillion-dollar economy, aiming to impact over 5,000 startups and 10,000 entrepreneurs, creating over 200,000 new job opportunities.

In the last 12 months, Microsoft has been a copilot to making AI a reality in India, taking it from boardrooms to classrooms, commerce to communities, and finance to farmers.

“Today’s announcement strengthens our belief in India’s potential and our resolve to equip the country with the resources and future-ready skills needed to excel in the global marketplace,” said Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India and South Asia.