By Mike Yeh, Regional Vice President, Corporate External and Legal Affairs, Microsoft Asia
India stands at a pivotal moment in its digital and AI journey, one defined by scale, ambition, and global relevance. As the country sharpens its focus on digital infrastructure, AI-led innovation, and cutting-edge cybersecurity, Microsoft is deepening its support through a new set of digital commitments tailored for India.
These commitments are not just announcements — they represent a strategic evolution of Microsoft’s role in India’s digital future.
Announced today at the Microsoft Leaders Forum: India’s Digital Future in the presence of Puneet Chandok, President, Microsoft India & South Asia and key customers from government and critical infrastructure sectors, these commitments build on decades of partnership and are the direct result of sustained engagement with government stakeholders, policymakers, and customers across India. They set a new benchmark for responsible innovation and digital stability.
The forum served as a platform to reaffirm these priorities and showcase how collaboration drives impact.
From enabling public sector modernization to expanding cloud and AI infrastructure, Microsoft’s work in India reflects a continued investment in technology, talent, and collaboration. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s investment announcement in January 2025 — of $3 billion and training 10 million people by 2030 — marked a milestone, and today’s commitments build on that strategic momentum. They reflect Microsoft’s continued effort to align with India’s evolving digital landscape, not as a new initiative, but as the next chapter in a long-standing partnership.
A critical part of this next chapter is strengthening governance frameworks to ensure trust and resilience.
Governance Reforms to Protect Customers and Advance Digital Stability
In support of national priorities, Microsoft has introduced a set of governance measures designed to modernize our compliance framework and reaffirm our role as a reliable, long-term partner to the public sector and critical infrastructure domains—including healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and financial services. These actions demonstrate our proactive approach to responsible technology and regulatory collaboration. To translate this approach into action, Microsoft is introducing a set of concrete measures designed for India’s unique needs. These include:
- Microsoft Public Sector and Critical Infrastructure Customer Council: To foster deeper collaboration with India’s public sector and critical infrastructure leaders — including those in healthcare, energy, and financial services — Microsoft has established a new Customer Council. This strategic forum will enable ongoing dialogue around technology, policy, and contractual frameworks, especially considering the accelerated pace of innovation, rising cybersecurity threats, and the growing demand for sovereign solutions. Puneet Chandok will chair the council, reinforcing Microsoft’s commitment to co-creating solutions that contribute meaningfully to India’s nation-building efforts.
- Updated Review Protocols and Jurisdictional Safeguards: Considering the increased geopolitical complexity and global regulatory fragmentation, Microsoft has updated its risk-based compliance framework, which includes validation checkpoints, escalation pathways, and cross-functional oversight to ensure services resiliency. This approach ensures that compliance actions are proportionate, context-sensitive, and legally robust.
- Contractual Transparency and Customer Assurance: Microsoft will use best efforts to inform customers of any foreign government orders mandating service suspension, advocate for withdrawal of any such order through legal channels and may seek injunctive relief to preserve service continuity. We also commit to collaborating in good faith with customers to maintain access to their data and minimize business disruption.
- Cybersecurity and Data Privacy and Migration: Microsoft continues to enhance its secure cloud infrastructure and support to India’s sovereignty requirements with Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty and Hybrid AI partnerships with local service providers. Our strengthened privacy protocols are aligned with India’s regulatory standards, while partnering with government and public sector entities to bolster national cyber resilience.
- AI Skilling and Local Innovation: A foundation for digital stability is local innovation and Microsoft remains committed to equipping 10 million Indians with essential AI skills by 2030. In FY25, Microsoft enabled AI skills for 5.6 million people and will deepen its commitment through focused programs in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, India AI Mission, Capacity Building Commission, and multiple state governments. These initiatives include:
- AI Micro-degree for vocational education
- AI Centers of Excellence (CoEs) for women in higher education
- Capacity building for civil servants and government officials
- Equipping startups, social enterprises, and developers through AI diffusion and access
Ultimately, these efforts converge on a single principle: trust as the foundation for India’s AI-first future. By aligning with the country’s evolving governance priorities, Microsoft is focused on delivering secure, stable, and future-ready technologies that enable long-term growth and resilience.
A Future Built on Trust and Partnership
Microsoft remains steadfast in its commitment to making India AI first with trust, transparency, and collaborative governance. As India accelerates its digital journey, we are proud to stand alongside the government, public sector, and critical infrastructure to support their digital and AI vision and goals.
We welcome continued dialogue and reaffirm our dedication to strengthening India’s digital ecosystem with integrity, stability, security, and a shared purpose to accelerate India’s AI-first future.
