Microsoft backs its $3B AI push in India with public and private sector deals

Microsoft's AI Partnerships in India - Microsoft announced a series of AI partnerships across India's core sectors, including railways, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and education [1] - The company pledged to invest $3 billion in India over the next two years, intensifying competition with Google and Amazon [1] - Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella unveiled agreements with five major organizations in India [1] Collaboration with Indian Government and AI Training - Microsoft will contribute to the Indian Ministry of Electronics and IT's IndiaAI Mission Datasets platform by supporting data collection and synthetic generation [2] - The company plans to train 500,000 people in AI technologies by 2026 [2] - Microsoft and the Indian government will establish an AI Center of Excellence called AI Catalysts to promote rural AI innovation and set up AI labs in 20 national skill training institutes [2] Sector-Specific AI Initiatives - RailTel, a government-backed firm, partnered with Microsoft for a five-year collaboration to advance digital, cloud, and AI transformation in Indian railways [3] - Apollo Hospitals plans to develop AI "copilots" for healthcare services [3] - Bajaj Finance expects annual cost savings of $18 million by 2026 through AI implementations [3] - Edtech startup Upgrad will work with Microsoft to build AI applications for workplace use [3] Competitive Landscape in India's AI Market - Google and Amazon are expanding their AI offerings and courting Indian businesses [4] - Nvidia has partnered with Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries to build AI infrastructure and signed deals with Tata Communications and Yotta Data Services to deploy thousands of its H100 chips [4] - Google introduced new AI-powered tools for Indian merchants to enhance their digital presence [5]