Microsoft has recently revealed plans to support AI infrastructure, digital sovereignty and talent development across India and Canada. What follows will be an investment of $17.5 billion in India and CAD19 billion ($13.7 billion) in Canada.
Starting with India, the four-year investment runs from 2026 to 2029 and marks Microsoft’s largest commitment in Asia. It builds on a previous $3 billion investment announced in January, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The announcement followed a meeting between Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss India’s AI roadmap. Microsoft said its strategy aligns with the government’s ambition to move from digital public infrastructure to AI public infrastructure at national scale.
A central focus will be hyperscale capacity. Microsoft plans to bring its India South Central cloud region in Hyderabad online by mid-2026, which the company said will be its largest data centre region in the country. It will also expand its existing data centre regions in Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.
Beyond infrastructure, the company also plans to accelerate AI adoption on public platforms. It will integrate advanced AI capabilities into government platforms, extending AI-enabled services such as multilingual access and AI-assisted job matching to more than 310 million informal workers.
In addition, Microsoft is scaling up workforce development, doubling its AI skilling target to 20 million people by 2030. Union Minister of electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishna said, “Microsoft’s landmark investment signals India’s rise as a reliable technology partner for the world”.
Canadian ambitions
In Canada, Microsoft’s CAD19 billion investment runs from 2023 to 2027, with more than CAD7.5 billion earmarked for the next two years.
The company will expand its Azure Canada Central and Canada East data centre regions, strengthening domestic data residency and sovereign cloud capabilities for government and enterprises.
The company also unveiled a five-point digital sovereignty plan focused on cybersecurity defence, ensuring data sovereignty, strengthening privacy protections, supporting domestic AI developers and ensuring the continuity of cloud services amid geopolitical uncertainty.
As part of this effort, Microsoft has now launched a dedicated Threat Intelligence Hub in Ottawa, bringing together threat intelligence experts and applied AI security research to work closely with Canadian government and law enforcement partners.
Microsoft expects the new digital and AI capacity in the country to begin coming online in the second half of 2026. Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, said “we believe Canada has what it takes to help lead the world in responsible AI innovation and adoption”.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Microsoft