Visitors explore the Microsoft Pavilion at AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India. So on Wednesday, Microsoft announced a $50 billion investment to narrow the global AI gap. Photo by: Rajat Gupta/EPA
Feb. 18 (UPI) — Microsoft announced Wednesday during an event in India that it will allocate $50 billion over the next 10 years to combat artificial inequality in low-income countries.
The Redmond, Washington-based company said it intends to close the AI gap between nations and ensure equal access to its many potential benefits. Company officials revealed the plan at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India.
AI inequalities between countries were a focus for attendees at the summit, with Microsoft officials saying the relative lack of access to electricity in the Global South compared to the Global North is hampering the development and access to AI in the world’s less developed countries.
“Unless we act urgently, the widening AI gap will continue for a century,” Microsoft President Brad Smith and Chief AI Officer Natasha Crampton said in a joint release.
“Solutions will not come easily,” they added. “The needs are multifaceted and will require significant investment and effort from governments, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations.”
Microsoft researchers show that the AI penetration rate in the Global North, which consists of developed countries generally located in the northern hemisphere, was almost twice as high (24.7%) as in countries in the Global South (14.1%) at the end of 2025.
As of the end of the year, the global AI penetration rate was 16.3%, and the gap between the Global North and Global South is widening.
Microsoft is planning a five-part program to reduce inequality and make AI more accessible to the world’s poorer countries. Start by building the infrastructure needed to support AI, such as data centers.
The technology company also wants to empower people by supporting technology and skills development in schools and nonprofits, and making AI more multilingual and multicultural.
Microsoft’s efforts also support local AI innovation that responds to community needs, continuously monitors AI adoption, and supports the development of AI policy and investments.
“Success requires a lot of deep partnerships,” Smith and Crampton said. “These need to cross borders and connect people and organizations across the public, private and nonprofit sectors.”
Aspects of AI, including digital sovereignty needs, cybersecurity, privacy, and protection of intellectual property, are critical to ensuring successful AI adoption that narrows the global AI divide, they said.
