Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella may visit India in December

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is reportedly coming to India in December, marking his second visit to the country this year. The trip is set to feature meetings with top government officials and appearances at key artificial intelligence (AI) conferences, news agency Reuters reported citing two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The report claims that Nadella is scheduled to address two major AI-related conferences in Bengaluru and Mumbai. His itinerary also includes meetings in the capital, New Delhi. The planned visit is said to underscore the increasing importance of the Indian market for global tech giants, particularly in the rapidly growing field of AI. Products like Microsoft's AI assistant Copilot, along with competitors like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, and Elon Musk's Grok, have exploded in popularity across the country.The news comes as Nadella navigates a complex trade environment. New Delhi is actively promoting local apps and services over offerings from US firms, such as Zoho, which offers cheaper alternatives to Microsoft's cloud-based software tools.Nadella’s engagement with India has been highly visible. During his previous visit in January, he announced a $3 billion investment in AI and cloud capacity and held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Microsoft rivals are also ramping up their presence; Google announced this month that it would invest $15 billion over five years to establish an AI data centre in Andhra Pradesh. During his December visit, Nadella is also expected to meet with key customers and connect with Microsoft’s over 20,000 employees spread across 10 Indian cities.