Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it is on track to spend about $50 billion by the end of the decade (2030) to help expand access to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the “Global South”, a term for developing, emerging and lower-income countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere. The company made the declaration at the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, a major global technology gathering drawing executives from leading AI firms and world leaders
The initiative is pitched as an effort to address widening global disparities in AI adoption. Microsoft has said that, outside wealthy nations, many regions still lack the infrastructure, skills and connectivity needed to use AI tools effectively. The company has already pledged roughly $17.5 billion in AI investments in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets, and plans to build out data centres, cloud capacity and training programs across multiple emerging economies.
Microsoft president Brad Smith described the investment as part of a “five-part program” to increase AI diffusion at scale. This includes building digital infrastructure, expanding skills training, strengthening language-capable AI, fostering local innovation, and tracking AI progress in collaboration with governments and civil society. The company also announced specific targets in India, where it aims to train millions of people in AI skills by 2030 and support teacher training through its Microsoft Elevate for Educators initiative.
The announcement comes as the AI field attracts increased attention from governments and corporations alike. The India summit, one of the largest global AI events held in a developing country, underscores the strategic importance of emerging markets in shaping future AI policy, investment and governance, even as concerns over equitable access, job displacement and ethical risks grow.