Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Microsoft Corporation is going to make a major investment of $17.5 billion (about Rs 1.5 lakh crore) in India over the next four years (2026-2029) to support the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure, skill development and building sovereign capabilities.
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 9. He posted on X that Microsoft is investing $17.5 billion to support India’s AI ambitions. This will be the company’s largest investment in Asia to date. According to Nadella, this investment will strengthen the infrastructure, skills, and sovereign capabilities needed for an AI-driven future. Responding to Nadella’s post, PM Modi wrote, “When it comes to AI, the world is optimistic about India!”
“Had a very productive discussion with Mr. Satya Nadella. Happy to see India being the place where Microsoft will make its largest-ever investment in Asia. The youth of India will harness this opportunity to innovate and leverage the power of AI for a better planet,” he posted.
Earlier, the US tech giant had announced in January that it would invest $3 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure in India over the next two years. The company said it aims to enhance the country’s long-term competitiveness by training 10 million people in AI skills over the next five years. Microsoft’s plan focuses on expanding cloud and computing infrastructure, scaling up AI skills programs, and supporting secure and sovereign data systems across various sectors. In 2024, the company launched the “Advanta(i) ge India” initiative for AI skills training.
Meanwhile, other major tech companies are also making significant investments in India, driven by the rapidly growing AI market. Amazon hopes that its $12.7 billion investment in developing local cloud and AI infrastructure will benefit 15 million small businesses in the country by 2030. Amit Agarwal, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Emerging Markets, said the company aims to train 4 million Government school students over the next five years.
