Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates recently visited the Microsoft India Development Center (IDC) in Hyderabad, a hub of innovation that he envisioned 25 years ago.

Established in 1998, IDC is the driving force behind research, engineering, and development, playing a pivotal role in shaping renowned global products such as Azure, Windows, Office, Bing, Copilot, and various AI applications.

During his visit to the IDC Hyderabad, Gates expressed his optimism for India’s unique potential in AI. He also spoke about the company’s strategic focus on harnessing the country’s talent for advancements in this space. When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella visited India earlier this month, he echoed similar sentiments.

“It was rewarding to watch Bill address some of India’s brightest engineering minds at IDC, our biggest asset. Echoing his optimism over the opportunity for an AI-powered India, IDC is excited to drive innovation from India for Microsoft – from AI and cloud to security and gaming,” said Rajiv Kumar, managing director, Microsoft IDC, and CVP, Experiences + Devices India.

Up next, Gates is also visiting Bhubaneswar, Odisha, to meet state chief minister Naveen Patnaik engaging in various programs, including discussions on the implementation of AI in agriculture. 

In his latest blog post, he highlighted the importance of India’s digital public infrastructure (DPI), exemplified by Aadhaar. During the visit to Odisha, Gates will witness DPI in action at an agricultural monitoring center in Bhuvaneshwar, showcasing its utility in providing real-time guidance to farmers. The program, using AI and biometric data, has significantly reduced crop loss due to pests, garnering interest from other regions.

Microsoft’s AI Ambitions for India

Recently, Microsoft made a slew of India-focused announcements during Nadella’s trip. He announced that Azure is partnering with Indian startup Sarvam AI, specialising in Indic LLMs. Microsoft is also set to upskill two million Indians in AI by 2025.

Additionally, it plans to extend the coverage of Shiksha CoPilot, an AI copilot initiative by Microsoft Research India, to 100 schools by the end of the academic year. Shiksha CoPilot leverages Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Cognitive Services to analyse and organise content from textbooks. 

Why Hyderabad? 

Despite Bangalore’s being referred to as the “Silicon Valley” of India, Hyderabad is growing fast to dethrone the former’s tag. The burgeoning rise of Hyderabad as a prominent IT hub is driven by factors like robust infrastructure, favourable business conditions, and proactive government policies. In FY 2022-23, Telangana had a 31.44% growth in IT exports and a 16.29% increase in job creation. Hyderabad played a significant role, contributing to one-third of the 450,000 IT jobs created nationwide, surpassing Bangalore. Besides Microsoft, this has attracted global tech companies, with Google opting to construct its largest office outside the US in Hyderabad. 

Hyderabad’s success is attributed to strategic policies, such as the Telangana IT Policy initiated in 2016, providing incentives like tax reductions, infrastructure support, and investment opportunities. Infrastructure development, including an advanced metro system and well-designed roads, complements Hyderabad’s business-friendly environment and startup culture. Recent reports highlight Hyderabad surpassing Bangalore in office space demand, solidifying its status as a global business destination.