MICROSOFT on Tuesday (7) announced a £2.4 billion investment to expand its Azure cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) capacity in India over the next two years.
The announcement followed a meeting between Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (6), during which they discussed the company’s plans for growth, innovation, and upskilling in the country.
Thrilled to announce our new investments in AI infrastructure and skilling in India to help accelerate the country’s AI transformation. https://t.co/e2y7hc6Sko
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) January 7, 2025
Modi had expressed his satisfaction with Microsoft’s investment plans and its focus on technology and innovation.
In a post on X, he said, “It was indeed a delight to meet you, Satya Nadella! Glad to know about Microsoft’s ambitious expansion and investment plans in India. It was also wonderful discussing various aspects of tech, innovation, and AI in our meeting.”
It was indeed a delight to meet you, @satyanadella! Glad to know about Microsoft's ambitious expansion and investment plans in India. It was also wonderful discussing various aspects of tech, innovation and AI in our meeting. https://t.co/ArK8DJYBhK
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 6, 2025
Nadella, who is leading Microsoft’s push to deepen its footprint in India, thanked PM Modi for his leadership. He said the company was committed to making India “AI-first” and ensuring that its initiatives benefit every citizen.
“Excited to build on our commitment to making India AI-first and work together on our continued expansion in the country to ensure every Indian benefits from this AI platform shift,” Nadella stated.
The new investment will focus on scaling Azure cloud and AI capabilities in India, which is already home to over 20,000 Microsoft employees across 10 cities.
It also includes plans to train 10 million people in AI by 2030, building on the 2.4m individuals Microsoft upskilled last year.
This outlay is in addition to Microsoft’s previously announced £64 bn global investment in AI-enabled data centres, set for fiscal 2025.
India has emerged as a critical market for global tech giants, with its growing talent pool and relatively low operational costs.
Pope Francis greets Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit near Bari, Italy, in June last year, as Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and then British prime minister Rishi Sunak look on
