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 ability 10 million individuals 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 the direction of a trillion-dollar financial 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 at present introduced the corporate’s plans to take a position US $3 billion in India in cloud and AI infrastructure and skilling over the following two years, together with the institution of latest datacenters. This funding goals to speed up AI innovation in India, which is pivotal for attaining Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s imaginative and prescient of changing into a developed nation (Viksit Bharat) by 2047. Microsoft may even assist the nation’s long-term competitiveness by coaching 10 million individuals 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 saying at present reaffirm our dedication to creating India AI-first, and can assist guarantee individuals 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 lecture rooms, commerce to communities, and finance to farmers. Right this moment’s announcement strengthens our perception in India’s potential and our resolve to equip the nation with the sources and future-ready expertise wanted to excel within the world market. We’ll proceed to make use of AI to unlock prospects for the following few many years 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 method 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 duty as a pacesetter in AI. Microsoft is working to broaden broad entry to its AI know-how that empowers organizations and people to develop and use AI in methods that may serve the general public good. Microsoft will function its AI companies and infrastructure underneath Microsoft’s AI Entry Rules and in accordance with industry-leading accountable AI ideas.
Microsoft will broaden 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 stay in 2026. This funding goals to develop a scalable AI computing ecosystem to fulfill the rising calls for of India’s quickly increasing AI start-ups and analysis neighborhood.
Microsoft chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, on stage on the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru the place he introduced Microsoft will equip 10 million individuals 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 an important ability for professionals. Indian professionals are main the best way in studying and skill-building on LinkedIn, spending practically 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 individuals 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 members had been girls, and 74% got here from tier II and tier III cities, making certain inclusive protection throughout all the nation.
Right this moment, 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 Affect constitution, and these trainings can 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 Growth and Entrepreneurship mentioned, “India’s vibrant youth and tech expertise are key to shaping the way forward for AI. By way of the ‘AI for India’ mission, we goal 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 firms are pivotal on this transformation. By equipping our workforce, particularly girls 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 at present 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 subjects resembling 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 the direction of creating instruments that perceive and assist every pupil’s studying journey. By combining our experience with Microsoft’s developments in AI and Massive Language Fashions, we’re working to make training extra accessible, personalised, and impactful. We’re working collectively to assist and empower college students in significant methods.”
MSR India has had an extended 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 by means of mutually helpful engagement and analysis collaboration with choose Digital Natives. These Digital Natives will achieve 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 firms.
Microsoft additionally introduced an AI MoU with SaaSBoomi, the premier neighborhood 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 financial 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 goal to affect over 5,000 startups and over 10,000 entrepreneurs, upskill greater than 150,000 startup staff by means of centered workshops, foster regional improvement in 20+ tier II cities, create over 200,000 new job alternatives, and assist appeal to an extra US $1.5 billion in enterprise capital funding for the Indian AI and SaaS ecosystem. Beneath the MoU, Microsoft may even assist 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 sources wanted to assist accountable progress of AI infrastructure. Microsoft continues to take daring motion on the trail to be carbon unfavourable, 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. Be taught 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 duty to be a very good neighbor in India and elsewhere the place Microsoft operates. For datacenters, this contains addressing the sources wanted to energy AI – primarily power and water.
The corporate additionally not too long ago introduced that its new datacenters will devour zero water for cooling. The brand new design doesn’t depend on water evaporation, recycling water by means of a steady closed-loop system. Microsoft has additionally secured renewable power in India by means of 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 can be directed in the direction of a neighborhood fund to assist environmental justice initiatives specializing in girls’s livelihoods and financial empowerment, power entry, rural electrification, environmental remediation and water high quality enchancment, and different issues 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 prospects. The know-how firm is dedicated to creating AI accessible broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower each particular person and each group on the planet to attain extra.