Microsoft Inaugurates New Innovation Hub in Bengaluru

In an effort to expand its footprint in India, generative AI powerhouse Microsoft has opened a new innovation hub in Bengaluru. Puneet Chandok, president of  Microsoft India and South Asia took to LinkedIn to share the news. 

“Embrace a culture of learning and innovation with our maker spaces for prototypes and special projects. Meet our senior architects, who will steer you through bespoke technical engagements focused on transformative business outcomes” added Chandok.

The company has over 20,000 employees across 10 Indian cities – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, New Delhi, Noida, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

It has over 14 Microsoft Innovation Centres (MICs) across the country which are part of strategic partnerships with leading academic institutions and aim to grow tech skills. 

The company has announced several collaborations in the generative AI space in India over the last couple of months. For example, it teamed up with Skillsoft to create an AI training program for enterprises, leveraging Skillsoft’s AI Skill Accelerator to teach the use of Microsoft AI tools, including Copilot and Azure Open AI. 

Additionally, Indian IT giant Tech Mahindra is collaborating with Microsoft to implement Copilot for Microsoft 365 across 15 locations, aiming to improve efficiency for over 10,000 employees. Tech Mahindra will also use GitHub Copilot for 5,000 developers, expecting a 35-40% productivity boost.

Back in February of this year, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates visited the Microsoft India Development Center (IDC) in Hyderabad, a hub of innovation that he envisioned 25 years ago. He expressed his optimism for India’s unique potential in AI and the company’s strategic focus on harnessing the country’s talent for upcoming features in this space.

The company is partnering with Indian startup Sarvam AI, specialising in Indic LLMs. It is also set to upskill two million Indians in AI by 2025.