Microsoft's AI Tools Boost Indian Agriculture: Satya Nadella Showcases 20-40% Yield Increase

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Draws Attention To AI-Powered Agriculture For 'Healthier, More Sustainable Harvests' Amid $80 Billion Investment Push - Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Microsoft Corp. MSFT CEO Satya Nadella showcased the company's artificial intelligence initiatives in Indian agriculture, highlighting a broader push into AI technology backed by an $80 billion investment planned for fiscal 2025. What Happened: During a visit to the Agricultural Development Trust, Baramati in Maharashtra, India, Nadella observed how local farmers are leveraging Microsoft's AI tools to optimize crop yields and combat climate challenges. The initiative, part of Microsoft's "Farm of the Future" project, has shown promising early results with sugar cane yields increasing 30-40% and sucrose content rising 20%. "It was great to meet the team at ADT Baramati today, who are using our AI tools to help farmers grow healthier, more sustainable harvests," Nadella wrote on X. The agricultural initiative utilizes Microsoft's Azure Data Manager for Agriculture platform, combining data from weather stations, soil sensors, and satellite imagery to provide farmers with actionable insights through a mobile app called Agripilot.ai. Why It Matters: This development aligns with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates' vision for AI in agriculture. Gates, who owns 275,000 acres of farmland in the United States, has been advocating for AI adoption in farming practices. During a recent visit to India, Gates praised the country's innovation in digital infrastructure and its application in agriculture, particularly noting how AI and chatbots are delivering personalized farming advice to 7.5 million registered farmers. Microsoft's agricultural AI initiative comes as the company plans to invest approximately $80 billion in AI data centers during fiscal 2025, with more than half allocated to the United States. The investment reflects Microsoft's aggressive expansion in AI infrastructure, as the company reported its AI business segment is approaching $10 billion in annual revenue. Read Next: Tesla Supplier CATL, Riot Games Owner Tencent Plan Legal Action Over Pentagon Blacklist, Deny Military Ties Image Via Shutterstock Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

'Microsoft's AI tools help Maha Farmers Increase Yield by 20%'

The tech giant has partnered with Maharashtra-based AgriPilot.ai for over five years, leveraging AI and satellite imagery to transform farming. Microsoft's $3 billion commitment to expand the Azure infrastructure in India may have grabbed the limelight at the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru; however, the company's push to revolutionise sectors such as healthcare and agriculture also led to some key announcements by CEO Satya Nadella. An AI agritech startup that has partnered with Microsoft is working to eliminate guesswork in farming and empower farmers with science-backed insights to make effective decisions. Maharashtra-based AI startup AgriPilot.ai has collaborated with Microsoft Research for over five years, integrating AI, satellite imagery, and other tools to transform the farming sector. Identifying critical factors such as soil nutrient levels, water availability, and suitable weather conditions are some of the areas AgriPilot.ai specialises in to optimise crop yield and resource usage. "We have started seeing the results. Satya took that in his showcase because these are proven models now," Prashant Mishra, founder of Click2cloud Inc., which hosts the platform AgriPilot.ai, told AIM in an exclusive interaction. Mishra confirmed that experimentation has been done for more than 2,50,000 hectares of land around the world. "This [AgriPilot.ai] is precisely for the marginalised farmer because Microsoft wanted to work with those with less than two acres of land. So, about a thousand farmers, with less land and resources, are currently benefitting from it," said Mishra, emphasising that their goal is to prevent farmer suicides and distress by making them self-sustainable. The startup has conducted experiments, such as cultivating sugarcane thrice the size of conventional crops. It claims that the yield has doubled. Akin to conventional farming, the startup has also enabled the farming of exotic vegetables such as strawberries and dragon fruits on local farms. "Normally, five-star hotels import strawberries and dragon fruits from other countries, but with AI, we are able to grow them on local farms. Thanks to these exotic vegetables, the poor farmers are able to multiply their earnings, probably by 10 times or more," he said. Agripilot.ai has collaborated with the Agriculture Development Trust, Baramati, which claims that these new tools have increased crop production by 20%, as presented in the Microsoft keynote session. AgriPilot employs a 'no-touch' approach, utilising satellite and drone imagery to gather farm data remotely. This allows them to provide detailed crop management plans, from pre-planting to harvesting, customised for farmers. This has all been made possible with the help of AI. AgriPilot has built a strong partnership with Microsoft Research, leveraging its advanced tools and platforms to transform farming practices. Though Microsoft has not directly invested in AgriPilot.ai, the latter depends on it for critical technological support and open-source tools. Nadella also met with the team at ADT Baramati, which uses AI tools to help farmers achieve healthy and sustainable harvests. The startup integrates Microsoft Azure Data Manager and FarmBeats to analyse soil health, monitor water availability, and optimise fertiliser usage through precise, data-driven insights. Besides, AgriPilot partners with Pratham, a non-profit organisation, to train farmers in using these advanced technologies. This collaboration supports farmer education and provides employment opportunities for women, enabling them to conduct AI-powered soil testing independently using on-site machines. To ensure accessibility, instructions are provided in local languages, such as Marathi, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Farsi, and Hebrew, translated through Microsoft Copilot. The collected data is then fed into AgriPilot's platform, where AI models analyse it to deliver actionable results and outcomes for the farmers. AgriPilot is also conducting experiments in countries like Qatar, Dubai, Peru, USA, Malaysia and India. "Baramati [Maharashtra] in India was the first [place where we experimented], and now we are doing the same in Uttar Pradesh with Microsoft," he said. Meanwhile, other big tech companies have also been actively involved in the agri space. Last year, Google announced the availability of its Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API, which integrates satellite imagery with AI to deliver farm-level insights. The API is designed to support India's agricultural sector by enabling data-driven decision-making, optimising farm management, and addressing productivity challenges. Google recently partnered with the UP government to launch a Gemini-powered open network for farmers. This DPI for agriculture utilises Google's DPI-in-a-box solution and the Beckn protocol. Big tech is also powering agritech startups such as Bengaluru-based Cropin, which helps farmers make informed decisions based on historical, present and future data. When asked about future collaborations with other companies, Mishra was clear that their focus is currently on Microsoft alone. This year, they will work towards improving accuracy before proceeding to full-scale expansion.