Top executives from Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. are embarking on a tour of India over the next week, intensifying efforts to engage the country’s vast pool of programmers and drive the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) services in this pivotal market.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is set to address developers and technologists on “discovering new opportunities with AI” during his visit next week in Bangalore, India’s technology hub. In Mumbai, he will engage with industry leaders to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with next-generation AI. In parallel, Google’s Chief Scientist Jeff Dean will speak on AI’s next frontier with researchers, developers, and startups in Bangalore. He will also participate in a fireside chat focusing on India’s role in enabling AI to have a massive societal impact.
The simultaneous visits underscore India’s significance for both companies and the broader AI sector. India, with its more than 5 million programmers, is emerging as one of the largest reservoirs of AI talent globally—a critical factor at a time when such talent is often in short supply. Last year, Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang during his India tour expressed that the country could become the largest exporter of AI expertise globally.
Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of Infosys Ltd., Asia’s second-largest technology services firm, emphasized the pivotal role of Indian developers in the global transition toward AI in the coming years. Nilekani stated, “The Indian developer will determine which AI stack will dominate,” referring to the different layers of technologies forming competing AI systems.
Both Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai share Indian roots and engineering backgrounds before pursuing graduate studies in the United States. The push for AI in India is seen as a career-defining moment for both leaders. Pichai has labeled the shift to AI as “bigger than the internet,” while Nadella has described it as “Microsoft’s moment.”
India’s growing influence in AI is evident in developer activity on GitHub, a platform owned by Microsoft. Ahmed Mazhari, President of Microsoft Asia, highlighted that today, one in four AI projects on GitHub originates from India. He predicts that by 2026, India will surpass the United States in this aspect, emphasizing India’s unique position to facilitate the adoption of AI at scale, both domestically and internationally.
Microsoft recently pledged to train 100,000 developers in India on the latest AI technology and tools. In 2023, Nasscom, India’s technology industry trade body, reported nearly half a million developers specializing in AI and data sciences.
Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President of Nasscom, anticipates that more top AI companies will invest in India. Large technology services companies such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. and Infosys are vigorously advancing in AI, training hundreds of thousands of engineers. Gupta emphasizes that enterprises are eager to adopt AI, and the pivotal role played by developers can expedite this transformative transition. The dueling efforts by Microsoft and Google indicate the intense competition for leadership in India’s burgeoning AI landscape.