Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella lauds India's developers role in AI innovation

Some of the Key points of this address by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in Bengaluru are -

1. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted how Indian developers are creating advanced products to solve local and global problems.
2. India has become the fastest-growing market on GitHub, with over 13 million developers, and is expected to become the largest GitHub community by 2027.
3. Microsoft is bringing its Code; Without Barriers program to India, aiming to help female developers and coders access tech skills nationwide.
4. Microsoft's new initiative, ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA, aims to train 2 million people in AI skills by 2025.
5. At the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru, innovative projects like Sarvam.AI and Shiksha copilot presented how Microsoft technologies drive advancements in education, healthcare, and enterprise solutions in India.

In his address, Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, highlighted the significant role played by India’s developer community in preparing advanced products and solutions that tackle domestic challenges and hold promise for global deployment.

In front of 1,100 developers and technology leaders at the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru, Nadella talked about the difference Indian developers are making in accelerating AI innovation globally.

With 13.2 million developers, India leads as the fastest-growing market on GitHub, a software collaboration and innovation platform owned by Microsoft. Projections indicate that by 2027, India will surpass the United States to become the largest developer community on GitHub. Additionally, India boasts the second-highest count of generative AI projects on the platform, following closely behind the United States.

"This next generation of AI is changing how and what developers build everywhere, including in India," said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, of Microsoft. "It's fantastic to see how India's developer community is applying our technology and tools to build the future for India and the world."

Nadella announced Microsoft's plan to extend its Code; Without Barriers initiative to India this month, aiming to democratize access to technical skills nationwide. Originally launched in 2021 across nine Asia Pacific (APAC) countries, the program seeks to narrow the gender gap within the rapidly expanding cloud, AI, and digital technology sectors of the region.

It offers support, training, and networking opportunities tailored to female developers, coders, and other technical professionals, fostering inclusive economic growth and innovation while reflecting the region’s diverse social landscape. Microsoft's Code; Without Barriers initiative aims to provide skill-building and certification opportunities to 75,000 women developers in India by 2024.

The expansion of the Code; Without Barriers program builds upon Microsoft's recent developer and skilling endeavors in India.

Satya Nadella unveiled the fresh investment of Microsoft in skilling in India during Wednesday's announcement, aiming to equip individuals and organizations to excel in the era of AI. Through its ADVANTA(I)GE INDIA initiative, Microsoft pledges to offer AI skilling opportunities to 2 million people in India by 2025.

In January 2024, Microsoft facilitated the advancement of 100,000 developers in AI through its AI Odyssey initiative, offering a gateway for participants to embark on a journey toward AI expertise, earning Microsoft credentials along the way.

Following a positive reception in India, Microsoft is extending the AI Odyssey program to other Asian countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Additionally, Indian developers who missed the opportunity in January 2024 can now join the program. Phase 2 of the AI Odyssey, scheduled from February 8th, 2024, to June 25th, 2024, targets an additional 150,000 developers across Asia.

In November 2022, Microsoft India introduced the Azure Society of Excellence (ASE) in partnership with esteemed technology institutions such as IITs, IIMs, and BITS Pilani, aimed at collaborating with startups and their incubation cells. This exclusive program furnishes startups with technological assistance and mentorship, facilitating their readiness for the future. Microsoft has welcomed more than 1700 Indian startups into the Microsoft Founders Hub through ASE and has forged memorandums of understanding with ten prominent incubators in Indian technology and management institutes.

Microsoft India actively collaborates with a vast community of 2 million professional and student developers spanning 100 cities in India. This engagement aims to equip them with essential skills and readiness for various job opportunities. The initiative is supported by community leaders, Microsoft Valuable Professionals (MVPs), Azure industry experts, and partnerships with over 100 academic institutions nationwide.

During the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru, developers representing nonprofit organizations, students, and large enterprises demonstrated how Microsoft technologies have facilitated the rapid adoption of AI and empowered them to innovate.

Notable showcases included:

• Sarvam.AI offers comprehensive language models (LLMs) with Indic language support, aiming to enhance the development, deployment, and accessibility of generative AI applications in India. The startup strives to make such applications more robust, efficient, and cost-effective.
• Shiksha Copilot, a collaboration between the Sikshana Foundation and Microsoft Research India, aims to enhance learning outcomes by empowering teachers to craft personalized, age-appropriate lesson plans. Powered by Azure OpenAI models, the platform enables educators to create engaging content within 60 to 90 seconds, significantly reducing the time spent compared to traditional methods. Currently operational in approximately 30 schools across Bengaluru, the project seeks to expand its reach with support from Microsoft.
• The Open Healthcare Network has played a pivotal role in managing 581 hospitals, supervising 20,712 beds, attending to 362,349 patients, and facilitating over 500 million consultations in India. Supported by GitHub Copilot, the initiative is rapidly evolving to address the evolving needs of the country's healthcare sector.
• Persistent Systems’ Intelligent Digital Engineering Platform, powered by Azure AI, empowers large enterprises across diverse industries in India to integrate advanced language model (LLM) technology. Leveraging Azure's established frameworks for observability, data governance, and model registry, the platform offers a comprehensive environment for developing LLM applications tailored to specific business requirements.