Microsoft aims to train 10M Indians in AI by 2030
What's the story
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has announced the company's ambitious plan to train 10 million Indians in artificial intelligence (AI) skills by 2030. The initiative is part of the ADVANTA(I)GE India project, which was launched in 2024 with an initial goal of training two million individuals by 2025. Microsoft has already surpassed its initial goal by training 2.4 million people, 65% of whom are women and 74% from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Achievement
Indian professionals at forefront of AI adoption: Nadella
This accomplishment emphasizes the success of the ADVANTA(I)GE India initiative in fostering AI skills among varied groups. Nadella emphasized that Indian professionals are at the forefront of AI adoption across the globe, with LinkedIn members adding AI skills to their profiles in droves.
Investment plans
Microsoft to invest $3B in India's AI ecosystem
Along with the training initiative, Nadella also revealed that Microsoft will invest an additional $3 billion to expand its Azure capacity in India. This investment comes as part of the company's commitment to accelerate the country's AI and cloud ecosystem. Notably, the expansion is Microsoft's largest ever in India and shall support the growing demand for cloud services and AI infrastructure.
AI growth
India's growing AI ecosystem and Microsoft's support
Nadella stressed on the fast-growing nature of India's AI ecosystem, saying that there are already over 30,500 AI projects in the works in the country. He also said that India has a large number of developers on Github, predicting the number will be the largest by 2028. These remarks indicate how much more India can grow and innovate in AI with Microsoft's backing.
Strategic collaborations
AI Innovation Network and partnership with SaaSBoomi
The Microsoft Research Lab has launched an AI Innovation Network to accelerate the shift from research to real-world business solutions. Microsoft has also partnered with SaaSBoomi, a community of over 4,000 start-ups and more than 6,000 founders. The partnership will drive India's AI and SaaS ecosystem toward a trillion-dollar economy, by influencing over 5,000 start-ups and 10,000 entrepreneurs.