Microsoft is reportedly not seeing any slowdown in tech spending in India, according to Puneet Chandok, the company's President for India and South Asia. He noted that there's "a lot of momentum" building around AI, especially with the buzz surrounding 'Copilot' and the growing number of use cases across industries in this market, which the software maker counts as one of its fastest-growing regions, according to a PTI report.
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Shifting Perceptions of AI in India
Chandok mentioned that the general perception of AI has shifted from scepticism to optimism, and now to a real impact on the ground, with the emergence of "real, interesting use cases." Microsoft's AI assistant 'Copilot' has become a "verb" for artificial intelligence, he remarked, according to the report.
Microsoft is constantly looking at areas in which it needs to invest, he reportedly said, describing India as one of the fastest-growing regions globally for Microsoft and a "real opportunity to make a dent" with technology and innovation.
Chandok reportedly emphasised that world-changing technologies must be built responsibly, noting that Microsoft is fully committed to complying with all regulatory requirements and adapting to new, evolving frameworks.
"Copilot has become the verb for AI. We are truly becoming 'Copilot' to India's transformation, which I'm really excited about," Chandok said, according to the report.
Initiatives to Train AI Workforce
Microsoft is working towards its mission of making AI a reality for everyone in India. Chandok reportedly stated that Microsoft is "much more than a technology business in India," adding, "We truly want to be a force that moves India and South Asia forward."
It's worth noting that during his visit to India in February, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella reaffirmed the company's commitment to supporting India's transformation into an AI-first nation, focusing on developing a skilled AI workforce and promoting AI integration across various sectors and industries. Nadella announced that Microsoft will provide AI skilling opportunities to 2 million people in India.
"...the ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA program that we launched, where we're going to train 2 million people in India over the next two years on AI... that is on its way... the other one, (is where) 75,000 women developers in India will be trained and certified as part of Microsoft's 'Code Without Barriers' program, which is really exciting. We just launched the Microsoft Micro Degree in AI with the Ministry of Skill Development, as part of our commitment to enhancing digital skills across India," Chandok said, according to the report.
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Capabilities in India
Chandok believes that India is one of the most exciting markets in the world for all technology companies, including Microsoft. "It is also one of the fastest-growing markets for Microsoft, one of the fastest-growing regions across the world, and that is the reason you are seeing a lot of commitment, a lot of investments, and a lot of impact," he reportedly said, noting that the company is bringing the concept of 'One Microsoft' together in India.
"We have got massive capabilities in India. IDC, which is a development centre, cloud plus AI, Microsoft Research has a massive presence in India, and marks one of the largest presence outside the US. We're bringing all of those capabilities together for our customers and working truly as 'one Microsoft' to make sure that the AI-for-everyone mission in India, is a reality," he said, the report added.
Tech Landscape and Developer Community
Chandok reportedly pointed to India's robust technology landscape, which includes more than 7,000 listed companies and the world's third-largest startup ecosystem. He also noted that India is home to nearly 15 million developers on GitHub, positioning the country to surpass the US in developer presence on the platform in the coming years.
Citing recent studies, Chandok reportedly indicated that one in six AI researchers globally comes from India, with projections suggesting that a significant portion of the new workforce added over the next decade will originate from the country.
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Citing an example of how AI is making a difference in India, he reportedly said that, given that a sizeable population here does not speak English, AI is helping to drive the local language push.
"...So it is reducing the digital divide, which is a fascinating opportunity," he said, according to the report.
