Microsoft India Chief Envisions India’s Prominence in AI Innovation, Driving Global Growth
Microsoft India President Puneet Chandok anticipates India’s significant role in AI development, with over 500 enterprises embracing Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI platform. Chandok highlights India’s crucial contribution to global AI advancement and emphasizes the importance of fostering local AI platforms for market expansion.
The company has partnered with India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) on AI datasets and Bhashini, enabling generative AI queries and results in 20 Indic languages. Microsoft collaborates with leading Indian organizations such as Air India, Indigo, and Larsen & Toubro, supporting their deployment of operational AI assistants. Chandok anticipates this trend to continue, citing a tenfold growth in Microsoft Copilot adoption within India over the past six months.
Microsoft’s robust partnerships with top Indian IT services firms, including Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys, revolve around Copilot’s adoption for diverse AI applications. Chandok recognizes India’s significance in driving Copilot’s growth. Organizations like Myntra, Zomato, and Axis Bank have successfully deployed Copilot, witnessing impressive productivity gains.
Microsoft India’s revenue has surged by 39% year-on-year to $2.26 billion in FY23. Its services segment, encompassing Azure Cloud and OpenAI, accounts for 70% of this revenue. Industry analysts predict continued rapid growth in FY24, fueled by the generative AI surge. India’s growing share of Microsoft’s revenue is anticipated as its adoption of AI-ready platforms intensifies.
Beyond financial contributions, India holds strategic importance for Microsoft. Chandok emphasizes India’s role in training government officials on generative AI for productivity enhancement and skill development. Partnerships with government departments focus on addressing challenges in law and order and citizen services.
To support AI’s increasing compute requirements, Microsoft is expanding its data centers in India. Chandok acknowledges the significant investment required for infrastructure development. He underscores the company’s commitment to bringing the best of Microsoft to India, recognizing its status as one of its fastest-growing markets.
Chandok discusses the adaptation of large language models to the Indian context through training and data utilization. This approach ensures cost-effectiveness and enables the development of tailored services. Additionally, Microsoft is developing smaller AI models optimized for edge computing.
The company aims to participate in all innovation circles, recognizing the evolving nature of AI applications. Chandok highlights the growing prominence of purpose-driven models, such as Meta’s Llama-3 and Salesforce’s Slack integration. Microsoft’s presence in these innovation spaces remains a key priority.
