Microsoft will invest $17.5bn in India by 2029 to accelerate the development of its cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. This commitment, the company's largest in Asia, will span 2026-2029 and includes building data centers, deploying AI technologies, and implementing training programs. It comes on top of a previous $3bn investment announced in January, underscoring India's growing strategic importance for digital giants.
Amid sustained demand for digital services from both businesses and public agencies, India is attracting many players such as Alphabet, Amazon and OpenAI. With over 1 billion internet users and a dynamic developer community, the country has become a leading technology hub. Microsoft is aligning with the Indian government's objectives, notably through a partnership with the Ministry of Labour aimed at integrating AI into the e-Shram and National Career Service platforms, which serve more than 310 million informal workers.
The company is also rolling out sovereign cloud offerings tailored to local market needs. Its "Sovereign Public Cloud" is now available in Indian regions, while a "Private Cloud" version leverages Azure Local to meet security and compliance requirements. In parallel, Microsoft is stepping up its training efforts with its initiative ADVANTA(I)GE India, which has already enabled 5.6 million people to acquire digital skills. The goal is now to train 20 million Indians in the fundamentals of AI by 2030.
