Microsoft to deploy $17.5 billion towards cloud and AI, skilling, ongoing operations in India: Puneet Chandok

Microsoft India will deploy the fresh $17.5 billion investment announced by Satya Nadella towards scaling up three key areas – cloud and AI infrastructure, skilling, and other ongoing operations in India. Nadella, who is visiting India currently, announced the mega investment for the next four years and said he is “thrilled” about the investment commitments, which is the largest by the tech behemoth in Asia till date.

“Our new investment will be used to continue to scale our cloud and AI infrastructure, skilling initiatives and ongoing operations across India. This includes our workforce of more than 22,000 employees across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Gurugram, Noida and other cities — representing the diversity of Microsoft’s businesses,” said Puneet Chandok, president, Microsoft India and South Asia.

“Microsoft has been part of India’s fabric for more than three decades. As the nation moves confidently into its AI-first future, we are proud to stand as a trusted partner in advancing the infrastructure, innovation and opportunity that can power a billion dreams,” Chandok said.   

“Building on the US$3 billion investment announced in January 2025, our new US$17.5 billion commitment and deep partnership across India’s technology ecosystem are focused on turning India’s AI ambition into impact for every citizen,” Chandok added.  

Chandok said this transformation is anchored on three pillars: hyperscale infrastructure to run AI at scale, sovereign-ready solutions that ensure trust, and skilling programs that empower every Indian to not just join the future but shape it.

Chandok said Microsoft's workforce drives every part of the product cycle, from model development to engineering and product innovation. “Their work contributes to innovation across Microsoft’s AI stack — from infrastructure to app platforms to products — while operating hyperscale datacenters and delivering sales and support to customers nationwide,” he added.  

“These teams are not only powering India’s digital transformation but also delivering AI impact at scale globally —Copilot Studio, Azure AI Search, AI agents, AI speech and translation, Azure Machine Learning and more. Every day, they collaborate closely with India’s leading enterprises, developers and institutions to unlock the promise of AI for the country,” he said.

Earlier today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the company is excited about investment commitments worth $17.5 billion in India in the next four years. Nadella said Microsoft is thrilled about the data centre capacity coming up in India, while stressing that, along with data sovereignty, global intelligence is paramount for cyber resilience.