The announcement came at the international AI Impact Summit in New Delhi and was one of the largest private AI commitments for emerging markets, Reuters notes.
Infrastructure, sovereign data and training
President Brad Smith emphasized that the initiative aims to narrow the growing “AI gap” between developed and emerging economies.
“We need to act urgently to bridge the deepening AI gap,” he said, adding that technology accessibility, trust in technology, and the development of localized competencies will be key areas of focus.
The investment package covers building and expanding data centers, developing cloud infrastructure, implementing data sovereignty and cybersecurity solutions, and large-scale educational programs.
In particular, Microsoft plans to train 5.6 million people in India in 2026 and increase the total number of trained people to 20 million by 2030, including 2 million teachers as part of the Elevate for Educators initiative.
For an international audience, it is important that this is not just about commercial expansion, but also about building a long-term technology base in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Against the backdrop of intensifying competition for computing power and data, this move strengthens Microsoft’s position as a strategic partner for governments in building national AI infrastructure.
