Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella visited New Delhi on Wednesday and gave a strong vote of confidence to India’s growing role in the global AI landscape. During his address, he announced a massive $17.5 billion investment over the next four years to expand the country’s AI infrastructure.
Nadella said India is Microsoft’s largest market in Asia and praised the country’s policies, digital public infrastructure, and large base of technology users. According to him, India has everything needed for a thriving AI ecosystem. He pointed out how the private sector is actively participating in areas like payments, healthcare, and insurance. He even mentioned Bill Gates’ admiration for India’s digital stack and his interest in replicating it elsewhere.
Skilling 2 Million Indians
Along with the infrastructure investment, Microsoft plans to train 2 million people in India in AI skills. The goal is to ensure that the benefits of AI reach everyone. Nadella stressed that this upskilling effort will not be limited to big cities but will also include smaller towns so that people across the country can take part in the ongoing digital transformation.
A New Era of Work
Nadella spoke about the shift from the familiar “PC era” to what he called the “AI era.” In the earlier phase, computers were used mainly at specific points in the day. The new era, he believes, is one where AI becomes a constant companion that helps expand the limits of any organization.
Central to this shift is Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant. Nadella described it as an agent that can boost productivity and support work across areas like healthcare, customer service, science, and security. According to him, we are moving beyond simple chat-based interaction to a system where a person gives a prompt and the AI not only responds but also carries out tasks. He said the search engine of the future will feel more like a partner at work.
Microsoft 365 is already adopting this approach. Apps such as Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Outlook are being upgraded with built-in AI agents. Nadella also introduced new roles like Researcher Mode, Analyst Mode, and Agent Mode, which together create a new “IQ layer” across the product suite.
Building a Strong AI Platform
To speed up the creation of AI-driven applications, Microsoft is building a platform called Foundry. It is meant to help developers and companies build and secure AI models with greater control. Foundry provides access to more than 11,000 open-source and advanced AI models.
Developers will be able to use tools such as App Builder, Copilot Studio, and GitHub, along with a platform for storing and managing shared files. The broader goal of Foundry is to help organizations turn their data into clearer and more useful insights.
Partnerships in India
Nadella also highlighted how Indian companies are already using Microsoft’s AI tools. Apollo Hospitals is using them for clinical intelligence. ONGC is using them to improve its operations. Tech Mahindra is relying on them for better efficiency and performance.
Nadella ended his address by demonstrating how new AI agents, such as a “decision orchestrator,” can work independently. He said AI will reshape the way we work and make decisions. Microsoft’s investment and skilling initiative marks an important moment in India’s AI journey and strengthens its partnership with one of the world’s biggest technology companies.
