Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the investments will help Southeast Asia’s largest economy thrive in a “new era.”
Microsoft announced plans to invest $1.7 billion in artificial intelligence and cloud services in Indonesia.
Under plans unveiled by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the tech giant will train 840,000 people in Indonesia to use AI and provide support to the country’s growing ranks of tech developers.
The announcement marks Microsoft’s largest investment in its nearly three-decade history in the Southeast Asian country.
Nadella spoke with President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Tuesday before delivering a speech on AI in the Indonesian capital.
“This new generation of AI is reshaping the way people live and work everywhere, including in Indonesia,” Nadella said during the first stop of a tour of Southeast Asia.
“The investments we are announcing today – covering digital infrastructure, skills and support for developers – will help Indonesia thrive in this new era,” he said.
Nadella said Microsoft’s investment would “bring the latest and greatest AI infrastructure to Indonesia.”
“We are going to lead this wave in terms of the AI infrastructure needed,” he said.
Today we announced our largest investment in our nearly three decades in Indonesia, as we work together to advance the country’s cloud and AI ambitions and help Indonesia thrive in this new era. https://t.co/CqeLI9uVJd
– Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 30, 2024
Indonesia, with a population of around 280 million, is Southeast Asia’s largest economy and home to the region’s third-largest developer community after India and China.
In a 2020 study, international consultancy Kearney said AI could contribute nearly $1 trillion to Southeast Asia’s gross domestic product by 2030, with Indonesia expected to capture $366 billion of this gain.
Nadella’s visit comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook met last month with Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, where he said he would “look at” manufacturing in the country.
Microsoft is seeking to strengthen support for AI development globally and last month announced multibillion-dollar investments in cloud and AI infrastructure in Japan and the AI company G42, based in the United Arab Emirates.
