Microsoft to invest $3 bn in India to expand AI ops

Microsoft will invest $3 billion (about Rs 25,700 crore) to expand its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in India, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella said on Tuesday.

The tech giant will also train 10 million people in AI skills in India by 2030, Nadella said, addressing a conference of start-up founders and executives from technology firms in Bengaluru.

Nadella is the latest among tech tycoons to visit India. Chip-maker Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, AMD’s Lia Su and Meta Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun have also visited India in recent months.

Nadella said the $3 billion investment in India would be the “single-largest expansion” done in the country. He noted that the diffusion rate of AI in India was exciting, but did not give a time frame for spending the investment.

At present, Microsoft provides its cloud computing services under the brand name of Azure; and has over 60 Azure regions — comprising more than 300 data centres.

During his last visit to India in February 2024, Nadella had announced that the company would provide 2 million people in the country with AI skilling opportunities by 2025, focused on training individuals in smaller cities and rural areas.