On Wednesday, Microsoft revealed a significant array of partnerships centred around artificial intelligence (AI) within India’s key sectors, coinciding with its announcement to invest $3 billion in the country over the next two years. The move marks a strategic effort by the tech giant to enhance its competitive stance against other industry leaders such as Google and Amazon.
The announcement was made by Microsoft’s Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella, who detailed agreements with five major organisations that encompass railways, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and education. A notable component of this initiative includes collaboration with the Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT. Under this partnership, Microsoft will assist in the development of the ministry’s IndiaAI Mission Datasets platform by contributing to data collection and the synthetic generation of data.
In addition to supporting educational initiatives, Microsoft has committed to training 500,000 individuals in AI technologies by 2026. Part of this strategy involves the setting up of an AI Center of Excellence, dubbed AI Catalysts, which aims to foster rural AI innovation and establish AI laboratories in 20 national skill training institutes.
Specific agreements have been struck with various organisations, including a five-year alliance with RailTel, a government-backed enterprise, aimed at enhancing “digital, cloud and AI transformation” within the Indian railways. In the healthcare sector, Apollo Hospitals plans to develop AI “copilots” to streamline healthcare services. Meanwhile, Bajaj Finance, recognised as India’s largest non-banking financial company, anticipates realising annual cost savings of approximately $18 million by 2026 through the integration of AI technologies. Additionally, the edtech startup Upgrad is set to collaborate with Microsoft to create AI applications for workplace usage.
The announcement comes amidst a rapidly evolving technological landscape where competitors such as Google and Amazon are also striving to expand their AI capabilities and engage Indian businesses. This competitive environment is further underscored by Nvidia’s recent efforts to establish AI chip deals with major Indian companies. In October, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced collaborations with Reliance Industries to develop AI infrastructure, and has also partnered with Tata Communications and Yotta Data Services to deploy thousands of its H100 chips.
Google, which has established a strong presence in India over the past two decades, recently launched new AI-powered tools designed to assist Indian merchants in enhancing their digital footprints. These developments depict a dynamic interplay of innovation and partnership in the Indian tech landscape, driven by the growing demand for AI solutions across numerous sectors.
Source: Noah Wire Services