TLDR
- Microsoft announced it is on pace to invest $50 billion in AI across the ‘Global South’ by the end of the decade.
- The announcement was made at the AI summit in New Delhi on Wednesday.
- The ‘Global South’ refers to developing and lower-income countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere.
- Microsoft previously committed $17.5 billion in AI investments in India last year.
- MSFT stock was trading at $396.86, down 1.11% at close on February 17.
Microsoft (MSFT) stock was trading at $396.86, down 1.11%, as the company announced plans to invest $50 billion in AI infrastructure across the ‘Global South’ by the end of the decade.
The announcement came on Wednesday at the AI Action Summit in New Delhi, where executives from major global tech companies gathered alongside world leaders.
The ‘Global South’ is a broad term covering developing, emerging, and lower-income countries, most of them located in the southern hemisphere.
Microsoft framed the investment as an effort to bring AI capabilities to regions that have historically had less access to advanced technology infrastructure.
The company did not break down exactly how the $50 billion will be allocated across specific countries or regions, but the New Delhi setting gave a clear signal of where some of the focus lies.
India has already been a major target for Microsoft’s AI spending. Last year, the company committed $17.5 billion to AI investments in the country, one of the largest such commitments Microsoft has made in a single market.
India’s digital economy has been growing rapidly, and Microsoft has been moving to position itself as a key infrastructure partner there.
A Bigger Global Bet
The $50 billion figure puts the Global South push in the same league as Microsoft’s broader global AI spending commitments, which have been running into the hundreds of billions across multiple regions.
Microsoft has been investing heavily in data centers and AI capacity worldwide, and this announcement extends that strategy into emerging markets.
The New Delhi summit drew senior executives from companies across the AI space, with several world leaders also in attendance, reflecting how central AI investment has become to economic policy discussions.
What It Means for MSFT
Microsoft’s stock dipped 1.11% to $396.86 on February 17, though pre-market trading on February 18 showed a modest recovery of +0.68%, bringing the price to around $399.54.
The Global South announcement is part of a broader push by Microsoft to expand its AI footprint globally, not just in established Western markets.
Microsoft has not provided a detailed timeline for when the full $50 billion will be deployed, saying only that it is “on pace” to hit that figure by the end of the decade.
The $17.5 billion India commitment from last year appears to be counted as part of, or alongside, this wider initiative.
At the New Delhi summit, Microsoft did not announce any new individual country deals beyond the overall $50 billion target.
MSFT was trading at $399.54 in pre-market on February 18 following the announcement.
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