Microsoft to Invest ₹1.6 Lakh Crore in India’s AI Ecosystem After Nadella–Modi, Nadella–Adani Meetings

Indian businessman and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani met Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella on Wednesday over a special meeting. Overjoyed after the meeting, Gautam Adani shared a photo on the social media platform Twitter. He wrote, "It is always a great experience to meet Satya Nadella and hear his insights into what the future of technology holds." Adani shared an interesting anecdote. He said, "Satya Nadella gave me a demo of some of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) apps he was working on." Adani added, "This is a great example of hands-on leadership, which is the hallmark of a true and great leader."

The two leaders agreed that the physical and digital worlds are now converging, and AI will play a crucial role in this. Adani also expressed enthusiasm for forging a strong partnership with Microsoft.

Alongside this meeting, Microsoft announced a major investment of $17.5 billion (approximately ₹1.6 lakh crore) to strengthen India's rapidly growing AI ecosystem. Nadella described this as Microsoft's largest investment in Asia to date. This announcement follows a meeting between Satya Nadella and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, during which India's AI roadmap was discussed in detail.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is on a three-day visit to India. He will also visit Bengaluru and Mumbai, along with attending the "Leading in the New Age of AI" event in Delhi. During his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Nadella said that India has created a unique technology ecosystem that no country in the world can replicate. He said that digital public infrastructure like the India Stack and private sector participation have propelled the country to new heights in the technological revolution.

Microsoft said in a statement that in the coming years, the company will work with India to transform its digital infrastructure into an AI public infrastructure. The company claims that this can help India achieve global leadership in the new era of technology.

"Every time I visit India, I'm impressed by how AI is beginning to profoundly impact people's lives. A great example of this is our partnership with the Ministry of Labour, which is helping connect over 300 million unorganised workers to better jobs and social security. This shows what's possible when technology empowers people at scale," Nadella said in an X post.