Microsoft said it will invest $3 billion to build cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in India over the next two years, aiming to help the country become an “AI-first nation.”
The company also plans to train 10 million people in AI skills by 2030 and launch an AI Innovation Network in India, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said during the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru, according to a Tuesday (Jan. 7) press release.
“India is rapidly becoming a leader in AI innovation, unlocking new opportunity across the country,” Nadella said in the release. “The investments in infrastructure and skilling we are announcing today reaffirm our commitment to making India AI-first and will help ensure people and organizations across the country benefit broadly.”
Microsoft’s investment in infrastructure aims to meet the needs of India’s growing AI startups and research community, according to the release. The company already has three data centers in the country and plans to launch a fourth in 2026.
The company’s plan to equip another 10 million Indians with AI skills by 2030 will build upon its ADVANTA(I)GE India initiative that launched in 2024 and trained 2.4 million people in less than a year, the release said.
Microsoft’s other newly announced initiative, the AI Innovation Network, will see Microsoft Research (MSR) Lab increase its efforts to cultivate the AI ecosystem in India, build new collaborations, and help startups move from research to usable business solutions, per the release.
“In the last 12 months, Microsoft has been a copilot to making AI a reality in India, taking it from boardrooms to classrooms, commerce to communities, and finance to farmers,” Puneet Chandok, president of Microsoft India and South Asia, said in the release. “Today’s announcement strengthens our belief in India’s potential and our resolve to equip the country with the resources and future-ready skills needed to excel in the global marketplace.”
The announcement came a day after the White House and the Indian Prime Minister’s Office announced several commitments to strengthen a strategic technology partnership between the United States and India.
The commitments include plans to build new collaboration around AI via investments and protections involving the technology.
It was reported in June that Amazon plans to invest around $12.7 billion in cloud infrastructure in India by the end of the decade.
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