Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced an investment of $3 billion in India over the next two years to boost the country’s AI and cloud infrastructure and skills initiatives. This announcement was made during Nadella’s visit to India. The Microsoft CEO addressed an event in Bengaluru today, January 7. Tomorrow he will be in New Delhi.

Microsoft’s announced investment will include new data centers to expand Microsoft’s AI capabilities. As part of its ADVANTA(I)GE India programme, Microsoft aims to train 10 million Indians in AI skills by 2030.

“India is rapidly becoming a leader in AI innovation,” Nadella said. “These investments reaffirm our commitment to making India AI-first and ensuring that people and organizations across the country broadly benefit.”

empowering the workforce

Under its NOW AI initiative in India, the company aims to build on Microsoft’s success in skilling 2.4 million individuals in AI, ahead of its initial target. Notably, 65 percent of the participants were women, and 74 percent came from tier II and tier III cities, ensuring inclusive growth. The next phase will expand training opportunities, with an emphasis on equal access to AI education and tools.

Punit Chandhok, President, Microsoft India and South Asia, highlighted the importance of AI in India’s transformation, saying, “Over the last 12 months, Microsoft has been a co-pilot in making AI a reality in India, from boardrooms to classrooms, from commerce to communities. Used to be. , and finance to farmers.”

Microsoft also mentioned in its blog its AI Innovation Network, which has been launched by Microsoft Research (MSR) Labs. Apparently its aim is to deepen cooperation with startups and developers. This initiative focuses on converting AI research into actionable business solutions. MSR India is already collaborating with educational technology company Physics Wala.

Additionally, Microsoft has also signed an MoU with SaaSBoomi, the leading community for B2B startups in India. The collaboration aims to skill over 150,000 startup employees and boost innovation in Tier II cities. In five years, Microsoft and Saasbumi aim to impact over 5,000 startups, create 200,000 jobs and support India’s trillion-dollar digital economy vision.

Advancing AI Responsibly

Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability and responsible AI development. Its new data centers in India will feature waterless cooling systems and will rely on renewable energy, contributing to the company’s goal of going carbon negative by 2030.