Bengaluru, Jan 7 (Reporter) In a major boost to India’s AI and cloud ecosystem, Microsoft has announced a $3 billion investment to expand its Azure cloud capacity in the country. The announcement was made by CEO Satya Nadella during the Microsoft AI Tour in Bengaluru. The investment is aimed at bolstering India's infrastructure and advancing AI-driven solutions, reflecting Microsoft's global vision for artificial intelligence as a key driver of economic and industrial growth. The tech giant also revealed its plan to launch a fourth data centre region in India by 2026, complementing its existing regions in Central, South, and West India. Nadella’s visit included a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where discussions revolved around harnessing AI to fuel India’s entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem. As part of this commitment, the second edition of the ADVANTA(I)GE India program was unveiled, aiming to train 10 million individuals in AI skills over the next five years. The first edition, launched earlier, targeted the training of 2 million individuals by 2025. "India is home to 30,594 contributors to GenAI projects, highlighting the nation's potential as a global AI powerhouse," Nadella remarked. Microsoft also underscored its collaboration with industry leaders like Jio and SaaSBoomi to foster innovation among startups and entrepreneurs. Additionally, the company’s global plans for FY25 include an $80 billion investment in AI and cloud-based data centres worldwide, reaffirming its commitment to sustainable growth through infrastructure efficiency. The event drew attention to a new metric for evaluating infrastructure: "tokens per dollar per watt," signifying the economic efficiency of AI applications. In related news, Microsoft’s AI initiatives have received widespread attention, with the company focusing on democratizing technology and training India's workforce to embrace the future of AI...////...