Ahead of CEO Satya Nadella’s planned visit to India next month, Microsoft has shared fresh details on its AI-skilling efforts in the country. The tech giant revealed new progress on its micro-degree model along with early placement outcomes.
During his visit to India in January this year, Nadella had committed to training 10 million Indians in AI by 2030. In a fresh blogpost today, the company said it has crossed the halfway mark, having trained 5.6 million people in just 10 months.
Puneet Chandok, President, Microsoft India and South Asia, said in a release, “India stands at a defining moment in its AI journey, and what sets this moment apart is the nation’s resolve to make AI opportunity inclusive. At Microsoft, we see skilling as the cornerstone of this transformation.”
“By combining India’s scale of talent with its strong digital foundation, and by partnering with the Government of India, MSDE, and DGT, we are embedding AI learning into vocational institutions and communities nationwide. This is more than a program — it’s a movement to build a future-ready workforce,” he added.
Microsoft says it has partnered with the Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and is offering a one-year micro-degree titled “AI Programming Assistant” across 33 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) in India. The company also noted that the programme requires at least 50 percent of its intake to be women.
As an example, Microsoft highlighted the NSTI Bengaluru model, which involves 1,600 hours of instruction and covers Python, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and GenAI fundamentals.
Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, said in a release, “As AI reshapes the world of work, our skilling approach must evolve to match the pace of innovation and opportunity it brings.”
Microsoft says the partnership is helping build a “talent pipeline” for a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, logistics, IT-enabled services, and healthcare
