Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Plans Second India Visit in December to Advance AI Partnerships

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Will Reportedly Visit India Again in December

Google recently announced that it will set up data centres in India Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is set to visit India for the second time this year, according to a report. The Indian-origin executive is expected to visit New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. He is said to attend two conferences on artificial intelligence (AI) and meet Indian government officials during his visit. This comes as more US-based tech giants are showing interest in India. Earlier this year, Nadella announced that Microsoft plans to invest in the country. Other tech firms like Google and OpenAI have also pledged investments to build AI in India. All You Need to Know About the Microsoft CEO's Second Visit to India in 2025 Citing two sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reports that Microsoft CEO Nadella will visit India in December. Nadella is said to hold meetings with the Indian government officials in New Delhi. Additionally, he will reportedly address two conferences on AI in Mumbai and Bengaluru during his second visit to India this year. The report added that this comes as the Indian and the US administrations attempt to resolve differences on various trade issues. The Indian government has been promoting the use of homegrown apps, like Zoho and Arattai, which position themselves as more affordable alternatives to Gmail and WhatsApp. This will be the Microsoft's CEO's second visit to the country this year. In January, during an event in Bengaluru, Nadella announced that the US-based tech giant plans to invest $3 billion (roughly Rs. 26,542 crore) to expand the company's cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in India, which could potentially help it increase its revenue. Microsoft plans to invest the amount over two years. Various US-based tech giants have been showing interest in capitalising on India's gigantic demographic dividend. Earlier this month, Google pledged an even larger investment of $15 billion (about Rs. 1.33 lakh crore) in India to set up a data centre for AI processing. Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud CEO, revealed that the data centre will be built in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam. The California-based tech company plans to invest the money over a period of five years. Moreover, other US-based AI firms, like OpenAI and Anthropic, have also shown interest in India. Recently, a report highlighted that the ChatGPT maker, OpenAI, is planning to set up its first data centre in India. At that time, the company was still in the process of selecting a partner in India to bring the project to life. It is said to power the company's AI servers that will cater to its user base in India. Meanwhile, it might also host local businesses. OpenAI and Anthropic have also separately announced that the two will open their first offices in India. The Sam Altman-led firm has also started hiring employees in the country.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to visit India in December, sources say

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella will address two AI-related conferences in Bengaluru and Mumbai during his visit, which also includes meetings in New Delhi, said one of the sources. Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella is set to travel to India in December, his second visit to the South Asian country this year where he plans to hold meetings with top government officials, two sources with direct knowledge said. Nadella will address two AI-related conferences in Bengaluru and Mumbai during his visit, which also includes meetings in New Delhi, said one of the sources. Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment. Like other big tech executives, the Indian-born Nadella enjoys strong popularity in a country where engineering degrees are seen as a path to prosperity. News of his planned visit comes as New Delhi and Washington are trying to iron out trade differences, and as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his officials are promoting the use of local apps over U.S. firms. Among those is Zoho, which offers cheaper alternatives to cloud-based software tools made by Microsoft. During his January visit to India, Nadella announced a $3 billion investment in AI and cloud capacity, and met Modi. Companies are ramping up their focus on AI in India, where Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Elon Musk's Grok have exploded in popularity. Microsoft's AI assistant Copilot is used widely too, particularly in companies. Google this month said it would invest $15 billion over five years to set up an AI data centre in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Nadella will also likely meet key customers and India employees during his visit, the second source said. Microsoft has more than 20,000 employees across 10 Indian cities.