Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) on Tuesday announced a major initiative to invest $50 billion by 2030 to accelerate the adoption and accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI) across the Global South.
The tech giant shared this vision at the India AI Impact Summit on Tuesday, emphasizing the growing gap in AI adoption between wealthier regions and developing markets.
Microsoft's $50 Billion AI Commitment
Microsoft said its plan is organized around five workstreams: expanding AI-ready infrastructure, providing technology and skills support for schools and nonprofits, improving performance across languages and cultures, backing locally designed AI projects, and building measurement tools to track adoption.
On infrastructure, Microsoft said it spent more than $8 billion in its last fiscal year on datacenter buildouts serving Global South regions, including India, Mexico, and multiple countries across Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Microsoft said it has already reached 117 million people across Africa through partnerships that include Cassava Technologies and Mawingu, and it plans to share another update on progress toward the 250 million people goal.
The company also described work on sovereign controls and related options aimed at addressing digital sovereignty needs while maintaining cybersecurity and privacy commitments.
Bridging the Gap in the Global South
Microsoft said it invested more than $2 billion in the last fiscal year on programs across the Global South that include grants, technology donations, skilling efforts, and product discounts.
It also highlighted Microsoft Elevate, launched in July, with a goal of helping 20 million people earn AI-skills credentials by 2028.
In India, Microsoft said it trained 5.6 million people in 2025 and later set a target to equip 20 million people in the country with core AI skills by 2030.
MSFT Price Action: Microsoft shares were up 0.58% at $399.18 during premarket trading on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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