Microsoft declared its collaborations with government and industry leaders regarding artificial intelligence (AI) on Wednesday. This announcement was made by company CEO Satya Nadella in New Delhi during the second day of its AI Tour. On Tuesday, Nadella expressed the tech giant’s plans to invest $3 billion (approximately Rs. 25,753 crores) in the country to build AI infrastructure. The company further emphasized that India’s AI usage saw a substantial increase from 2023 to 2024, now surpassing global averages.
Microsoft’s Strategic AI Partnerships in India
In a newsroom announcement, the Redmond-based tech giant outlined the various partnerships established by Microsoft. The company has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of India along with organizations such as RailTel, Apollo Hospitals, Bajaj Finserv, Mahindra Group, and upGrad. All of these partnerships are centered on cloud and AI innovation.
Referencing an IDC study commissioned by Microsoft, the announcement asserted that India’s AI usage rose from 63 percent in 2023 to 72 percent in 2024. The company also noted that numerous organizations were capitalizing on AI, with 79 percent utilizing it for productivity and 66 percent for practical use cases.
Considering this potential, the company today officially disclosed the strategic partnerships it has formed with various stakeholders in the nation. Microsoft’s MoU with India AI, a branch of Digital India Corporation, aims at collaboration to enhance AI and emerging technologies in India. The two organizations will provide AI-focused skills to 500,000 individuals including students, educators, developers, government officials, and women entrepreneurs, by 2026.
Microsoft and India AI will also launch an AI Centre of Excellence named ‘AI Catalysts’ to foster rural AI innovation and assist 100,000 AI developers and innovators through hackathons, community-building initiatives, and an AI-centric marketplace. In addition, the two will establish AI Productivity Labs in 20 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) across 10 states to deliver foundational AI courses to 20,000 educators.
Besides this, Microsoft also entered into partnerships with RailTel focusing on digital, cloud, and AI enhancement in Indian railways and the public sector space. In collaboration with Apollo Hospitals, Microsoft will co-develop AI solutions and aid in digital transformation and research on topics like disease progression and genomics. The tech giant has partnered with Mahindra Group to innovate in Automotive, Farm, and Financial Services using AI by creating a variety of AI products.
