Microsoft chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, on stage on the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru the place he introduced US $3 billion funding in India for cloud and AI infrastructure over the following two years.
- Microsoft shared a complete plan to coach and talent 10 million folks by 2030, reinforcing its dedication to partnering with India on its journey to grow to be an AI-first nation.
- Microsoft Analysis Lab launched an AI Innovation Community, a groundbreaking initiative designed to speed up the transition from analysis to actual, usable enterprise options.
- Moreover, Microsoft and SaaSBoomi have joined palms to propel India’s AI and SaaS ecosystem in direction of a trillion-dollar economic system, aiming to affect over 5,000 startups and 10,000 entrepreneurs.
India – January 7, 2025 – Throughout his go to to India, Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella immediately introduced the corporate’s plans to speculate US $3 billion in India in cloud and AI infrastructure and skilling over the following two years, together with the institution of recent datacenters. This funding goals to speed up AI innovation in India, which is pivotal for reaching Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s imaginative and prescient of changing into a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047. Microsoft can even help the nation’s long-term competitiveness by coaching 10 million folks over the following 5 years with AI expertise, as a part of the second version of its ADVANTA(I)GE India program.
Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft mentioned, “India is quickly changing into a pacesetter in AI innovation, unlocking new alternative throughout the nation. The investments in infrastructure and skilling we’re asserting immediately reaffirm our dedication to creating India AI-first, and can assist guarantee folks and organizations throughout the nation profit broadly.”
Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India and South Asia mentioned, “Within the final 12 months Microsoft has been a copilot to creating AI a actuality in India, taking it from boardrooms to school rooms, commerce to communities, and finance to farmers. At present’s announcement strengthens our perception in India’s potential and our resolve to equip the nation with the assets and future-ready expertise wanted to excel within the world market. We are going to proceed to make use of AI to unlock potentialities for the following few a long time and guarantee communities throughout the nation have entry to the compute they should prosper within the AI period.”
Making India AI-first and advancing AI responsibly
Microsoft’s strategy to accountable AI is grounded in six core ideas: equity, reliability and security, privateness and safety, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability. This funding displays Microsoft’s increasing position and accountability as a pacesetter in AI. Microsoft is working to develop broad entry to its AI know-how that empowers organizations and people to develop and use AI in methods that can serve the general public good. Microsoft will function its AI providers and infrastructure underneath Microsoft’s AI Entry Rules and in accordance with industry-leading accountable AI ideas.
Microsoft will develop its cloud and AI infrastructure throughout datacenter campuses within the nation. Microsoft already has three datacenter areas available in the market, and the fourth able to go reside in 2026. This funding goals to develop a scalable AI computing ecosystem to satisfy the rising calls for of India’s quickly increasing AI start-ups and analysis group.
Microsoft chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, on stage on the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru the place he introduced Microsoft will equip 10 million folks in India with cloud and AI expertise by 2030.
ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA: Equipping 10 million Indians with important AI expertise by 2030
As the character of jobs evolves, AI is changing into a vital talent for professionals. Indian professionals are main the best way in studying and skill-building on LinkedIn, spending almost 50% extra time on studying per week than the common skilled. They’ve been early adopters of AI, with a 122% year-over-year enhance in Indian members including AI expertise to their profiles, in comparison with 71% globally.
In 2024, Microsoft launched the ADVANTA(I)GE India initiative with the bold purpose of coaching two million folks in AI expertise by 2025. Demonstrating its dedication to allow equitable AI alternative for each Indian, Microsoft has surpassed this goal forward of schedule with 2.4 million people educated in underneath a yr. Notably, 65% of the contributors had been ladies, and 74% got here from tier II and tier III cities, making certain inclusive protection throughout your entire nation.
At present, the corporate introduced its subsequent milestone, to equip 10 million extra Indians with important AI expertise by 2030. ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA is a part of Microsoft’s World Abilities for Social Impression constitution, and these trainings will likely be delivered in partnership with the federal government, nonprofit and company organizations, and communities.
Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Unbiased Cost), Ministry of Talent Improvement and Entrepreneurship mentioned, “India’s vibrant youth and tech expertise are key to shaping the way forward for AI. By means of the ‘AI for India’ mission, we purpose to empower residents with cutting-edge AI expertise, driving innovation, creating jobs, and bridging the digital divide. Collaborations with world leaders like Microsoft and related corporations are pivotal on this transformation. By equipping our workforce, particularly ladies and youth, with superior expertise, we’re constructing an AI-ready India, poised for digital management and sustainable financial progress.”
Fostering the AI Ecosystem in India for builders, startups and digital natives
Microsoft Analysis (MSR) Lab immediately introduced an AI Innovation Community to deepen its dedication to domesticate the AI ecosystem in India. Beneath the AI Innovation Community, MSR will construct new collaborations, particularly with digital natives, to speed up the transition from analysis to actual, usable enterprise options.
MSR India has already initiated a collaboration with Physics Wallah on math reasoning and is in ongoing discussions with different Digital Natives on matters similar to causal inference, optimizing Indic LLMs, immediate optimization, and reinforcement studying.
Prateek Maheshwari, co-founder, Physics Wallah mentioned, “At Physics Wallah, we’ve all the time believed within the energy of know-how to rework training. Our collaboration with Microsoft Analysis is a step in direction of creating instruments that perceive and help every pupil’s studying journey. By combining our experience with Microsoft’s developments in AI and Giant Language Fashions, we’re working to make training extra accessible, customized, and impactful. We’re working collectively to assist and empower college students in significant methods.”
MSR India has had a protracted historical past of each incubating startups (e.g. Digital Inexperienced in AI for agriculture and Everwell in healthcare) and open sourcing analysis applied sciences which have then been picked up by startups (e.g. Remidio in medical diagnostics and SoftX Applied sciences in transportation informatics). The brand new AI Innovation Community will assist speed up this via mutually helpful engagement and analysis collaboration with choose Digital Natives. These Digital Natives will acquire entry to MSR’s cutting-edge analysis and experience, whereas MSR may have the chance to deploy its analysis applied sciences at scale in partnership with these modern corporations.
Microsoft additionally introduced an AI MoU with SaaSBoomi, the premier group for B2B startups in India. This strategic collaboration goals to speed up the expansion of India’s AI and SaaS ecosystem, making India a product nation and contributing to its trillion-dollar economic system. By leveraging SaaSBoomi’s in depth community and Microsoft’s technological experience, the partnership seeks to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in tier II cities. Over the following 5 years, Microsoft and SaaSBoomi purpose to affect over 5,000 startups and over 10,000 entrepreneurs, upskill greater than 150,000 startup staff via centered workshops, foster regional growth in 20+ tier II cities, create over 200,000 new job alternatives, and assist entice an extra US $1.5 billion in enterprise capital funding for the Indian AI and SaaS ecosystem. Beneath the MoU, Microsoft can even help the emergence of greater than 50 unicorns and soonicorns; driving developments in innovation, sustainability, and technological infrastructure.
Supporting communities and advancing AI sustainably
Microsoft can also be deeply invested in advancing the sustainability of AI and is addressing the assets wanted to help accountable progress of AI infrastructure. Microsoft continues to take daring motion on the trail to be carbon detrimental, water constructive, zero waste, and defend extra land than it makes use of by 2030, all whereas empowering others with the know-how wanted to construct a extra sustainable future. Study extra in Microsoft’s 2024 Sustainability Report.
Microsoft contributes positively to native communities whereas advancing world digital transformation. These efforts reinforce its world Datacenter Neighborhood Pledge that acknowledges its accountability to be a great neighbor in India and elsewhere the place Microsoft operates. For datacenters, this consists of addressing the assets wanted to energy AI – primarily power and water.
The corporate additionally just lately introduced that its new datacenters will eat zero water for cooling. The brand new design doesn’t depend on water evaporation, recycling water via a steady closed-loop system. Microsoft has additionally secured renewable power in India via long-term contracts with Amplus and ReNew, contributing to Microsoft’s ambition to be carbon-negative by 2030. As a part of the settlement with ReNew, roughly US $15 million of income from the contract will likely be directed in direction of a group fund to help environmental justice initiatives specializing in ladies’s livelihoods and financial empowerment, power entry, rural electrification, environmental remediation and water high quality enchancment, and different considerations of communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution and local weather change.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and instruments powered by AI to ship modern options that meet the evolving wants of our clients. The know-how firm is dedicated to creating AI obtainable broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower each individual and each group on the planet to realize extra.