Microsoft Unveils Record $17.5 Bn Investment to Accelerate India’s AI and Cloud Expansion

Microsoft announced on Tuesday its largest-ever Asia investment, a $17.5 bn commitment to India over the next four years, aimed at accelerating the country’s cloud and artificial intelligence capabilities.

The announcement came after CEO Satya Nadella met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. In a post on X, Nadella said the investment would help India develop the «infrastructure, skills and sovereign capabilities» needed to shape its AI future.

The move underscores intensifying global competition among tech giants to deepen their footprint in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies. It follows Google’s October pledge to invest $15 bn to establish a major AI hub in Visakhapatnam.

Nadella’s three-day visit to India includes talks with policymakers and participation in AI-focused events in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

India is pushing to become a global leader in AI and semiconductor production, offering incentives to lure global chipmakers and tech companies as it seeks to strengthen innovation, create high-skilled jobs, and reduce reliance on imported technology.

«When it comes to AI, the world is optimistic about India,» Modi said after the meeting.

Microsoft’s new commitment far exceeds the $3 bn investment announced earlier this year for cloud and AI infrastructure and workforce training. The company employs more than 22,000 people in India and is expanding data center capacity, aiming to launch its largest hyperscale facility in the country by mid-2026.

Microsoft said the investment will scale its national operations and support advanced computing demand across India’s rapidly growing digital sectors.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will extend a $50 mln loan to Ipak Yuli Bank to strengthen small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Uzbekistan, the institution’s press service told Kursiv Uzbekistan.