Microsoft to Invest $3 Bln to Expand AI, Cloud Capacity in India

26 March 2021, Bavaria, Munich: The Microsoft logo hangs on the facade of an office building in Parkstadt Schwabing in the north of the Bavarian capital. (dpa)
26 March 2021, Bavaria, Munich: The Microsoft logo hangs on the facade of an office building in Parkstadt Schwabing in the north of the Bavarian capital. (dpa)
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Microsoft to Invest $3 Bln to Expand AI, Cloud Capacity in India

26 March 2021, Bavaria, Munich: The Microsoft logo hangs on the facade of an office building in Parkstadt Schwabing in the north of the Bavarian capital. (dpa)
26 March 2021, Bavaria, Munich: The Microsoft logo hangs on the facade of an office building in Parkstadt Schwabing in the north of the Bavarian capital. (dpa)

Microsoft will invest about $3 billion to expand capacity for artificial intelligence and its Azure cloud-computing services in India, CEO Satya Nadella said on Tuesday.

The tech giant is the latest to pledge investment in India, a country seen as a key growth market for US technology companies thanks to its population of more than 1.4 billion people and low-cost internet access.

Executives ranging from Nvidia chief Jensen Huang to Meta's chief AI scientist Yann LeCun have visited India in recent months.

The $3 billion investment in India would be the "single largest expansion" done in the country, Nadella said at a conference in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.

Microsoft will also train 10 million people in AI in India by 2030, Nadella said.

When Nadella visited India early last year, he announced the company will provide 2 million people in the country with AI skilling opportunities by 2025, focused on training individuals in smaller cities as well as rural areas.

Nadella met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, and the pair discussed "tech, innovation and AI" and "Microsoft's ambitious expansion and investment plans in India."

Microsoft has been pouring billions of dollars into expanding capacity across the globe to boost AI infrastructure and its data-center network.

The company last week unveiled plans to invest about $80 billion in fiscal 2025.

The investment, more than half of which will be in the United States, will focus on developing data centers to train AI models and deploy AI and cloud-based applications.



Huawei Launches Skills Development Center to Train 25,000 Talents in Saudi Arabia

Huawei Launches Skills Development Center to Train 25,000 Talents in Saudi Arabia
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Huawei Launches Skills Development Center to Train 25,000 Talents in Saudi Arabia

Huawei Launches Skills Development Center to Train 25,000 Talents in Saudi Arabia

In partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Huawei has launched the Huawei Skills Development Center, a new initiative aimed at advancing the Kingdom’s digital talent landscape. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the LEAP 2025 conference in Riyadh.
The center marks a significant milestone in the strategic collaboration between the ministry and Huawei, focusing on developing digital capabilities and fostering ICT talent across the Kingdom, SPA reported.
With a goal of training 25,000 local talents by 2030, the center will offer a comprehensive annual training program covering key technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and emerging digital platforms. The curriculum will integrate theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, equipping trainees with advanced skills to tackle complex technical challenges and drive digital transformation across various sectors.
The Huawei Skills Development Center will commence operations immediately, with the first training programs set to launch in the coming weeks.