Microsoft announces $3 billion investment in India, to train 10 million in AI skills

Microsoft will invest $3 billion in India over the next two years in cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure including the establishment of new data centres, and skilling, the US-headquartered technology firm’s chief executive Satya Nadella said at the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The company will expand its cloud and AI infrastructure across data centre campuses in the country, he said.

Microsoft has three data centres in the country and the fourth will go live in 2026.


The fresh investment is aimed at developing a scalable AI computing ecosystem to meet the growing demands of India’s rapidly expanding AI startups and research community. "There are 17 million developers in India, largest after the United States on Github. This will be the largest developer community by 2028. Around 30,594 AI projects are being developed from India," Nadella said.

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The company also announced a comprehensive plan to train 10 million people in AI skills by 2030, as part of the second edition of its ADVANTA(I)GE India programme. The training will be delivered in partnership with the government, non-profit and corporate organisations, and communities, it said.

Last year, Microsoft launched the ADVANTA(I)GE India initiative with the goal of training two million people in AI skills by 2025. It trained 2.4 million individuals in less than a year. Around 65% of the participants were women, and 74% came from tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

The company also said that Microsoft Research Lab will launch an AI Innovation Network, an initiative designed to accelerate the transition from research to real, usable business solutions.

It said that Microsoft and SaaSBoomi have joined hands to propel India’s AI and SaaS ecosystem towards a $1-trillion economy, aiming to impact more than 5,000 startups and 10,000 entrepreneurs.

“India is rapidly becoming a leader in AI innovation, unlocking new opportunities across the country. The investments in infrastructure and skilling we are announcing today reaffirm our commitment to making India AI-first and will help ensure people and organisations across the country benefit broadly,” Nadella said.

Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India and South Asia, said, “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.”

In his keynote address, Nadella said that Microsoft’s approach to responsible AI is grounded in six core principles: fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.

He said that Indian professionals on LinkedIn spend nearly 50% more time on learning per week than the average professional. They have been early adopters of AI, with a 122% year-on-year increase in Indian members adding AI skills to their profiles, compared to 71% globally, he said.