Microsoft is set to invest $3 billion in expanding its artificial intelligence and cloud services, particularly its Azure platform, in India. The company aims to leverage India’s status as the world’s most populous nation to drive its revenue growth. Over the next few years, Microsoft will also focus on training 10 million people in India in AI, as announced by CEO Satya Nadella at a recent event in Bengaluru. Nadella emphasized that the investment in infrastructure and skill development underscores Microsoft’s commitment to making India an AI-first country and ensuring broad access to AI benefits across the nation.
India, a key market for global tech giants, has seen significant investments from companies aiming to capture a share of the growing digital economy. Microsoft’s expansion will support the development of AI capabilities, aiming to serve India’s burgeoning AI startup ecosystem and research community. The company operates three data center regions in India and plans to launch a fourth by next year. This $3 billion investment will help Microsoft scale its AI computing infrastructure to cater to the needs of Indian businesses.
Thank you, PM @narendramodi ji for your leadership. Excited to build on our commitment to making India AI-first and work together on our continued expansion in the country to ensure every Indian benefits from this AI platform shift. pic.twitter.com/SjfiTnVUjl
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) January 6, 2025
India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing developer markets globally, with over 17 million developers using Microsoft’s GitHub platform. Additionally, Microsoft has entered into a partnership with SaaSBoomi, an Indian B2B startup community, to foster entrepreneurship and attract $1.5 billion in VC funding for AI and SaaS startups in smaller cities. Microsoft’s clients in India include major companies like Infosys, Air India, Meesho, Tech Mahindra, and MakeMyTrip, with businesses already leveraging Microsoft technologies to drive operational efficiencies.
