Microsoft's $3 Billion Plan to Promote AI in India
On Tuesday, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella announced plans to invest over $3 billion in India's Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure, including the establishment of new data and skilling centres in the next two years. He was speaking at the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru.
Microsoft has three existing data centres in India with the fourth one scheduled to go live in 2026. The company plans to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure across data centre campuses in India, he said.
“There are 17 million developers in India, largest after the United States, on Github. This will be the largest developer community by 2028. Around 30,594 AI projects are being developed from India” -Satya Nadella
In the second iteration of its ADVANTA(I)GE India initiative, Microsoft also revealed a comprehensive strategy to train 10 million individuals in AI skills by 2030. The training will be provided in collaboration with communities, businesses, non-profits, and the government.
Microsoft launched the ADVANTA(I)GE India initiative in 2024 intending to train 2 million people in AI skills. The company exceeded its goals, training 2.4 million individuals, out of which 65% were women and 74% came from tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
The company also announced that Microsoft Research Lab will launch an AI Innovation Network –- an initiative to foster the transition from research to real and usable business solutions.