Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Backs India’s Bid for AI Supremacy

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella lends his support to India's aspiration for dominance in the realm of AI

Microsoft's chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has expressed his support for India's ambition to become a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). In his visit to India on February 7, 2024, Nadella announced a new initiative to provide AI skilling opportunities to 2 million people in the country by 2025. He also highlighted how Microsoft's AI solutions, such as Copilot, are helping Indian businesses and developers boost their productivity and innovation.

Nadella's announcement came at the Microsoft CEO Connection event in Mumbai, where he addressed top business leaders and decision-makers. He said that India has a unique opportunity to leverage AI to accelerate inclusive growth and development across various sectors and industries. He also said that Microsoft is committed to partnering with the public and private sectors to close the nation's AI skills gap and create new opportunities for the country.

The initiative, called ADVANTA (I)GE INDIA, is part of Microsoft's Skills for Jobs program, which aims to empower India's workforce with future-ready skills and transform India into an AI-first nation. The initiative will focus on training individuals in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, as well as rural areas, enabling them to participate in the new era of AI and unlock inclusive socio-economic progress. The training will be delivered in partnership with governments, nonprofit and corporate organizations, and communities, and will follow Microsoft's responsible AI principles.

Nadella also showcased how Microsoft Copilot, along with other AI solutions, is driving measurable productivity gains for people and organizations by helping them complete work faster and with superior quality. Copilot is a generative AI tool that can assist users with various tasks, such as searching, writing, and summarizing. Nadella said that Copilot can help users tap into the power of AI and innovate at the speed of thought.

He cited examples of Indian organizations that are already using Copilot to enhance their work, such as Axis Bank, Infosys, HCL Tech, and LTI. He said that these organizations have seen productivity gains of more than 30 percent in daily work thanks to Copilot. He also said that Copilot can help India create its own AI products and export them to the world.

Nadella's visit to India reflects Microsoft's strong commitment to the country's AI transformation. Microsoft has invested heavily in India's AI ecosystem, with more data center regions than any other cloud provider in the country, and strategic partnerships with Jio, Reliance Industries, and Flipkart. Microsoft also supports India's vision of creating a skilled and employable workforce and addresses the gap between the demand and supply of AI talent in the country.