Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the investment would 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.
The tech giant will train 840,000 people in Indonesia to use AI to help grow the country's tech developer base under a plan announced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. is.
The announcement marks Microsoft's largest investment in the Southeast Asian country in its nearly 30-year history.
Nadella met with President Joko Widodo (also known as Jokowi) at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Tuesday before delivering a keynote speech on AI in the Indonesian capital.
“This new generation of AI is reshaping the way people live and work everywhere, including Indonesia,” Nadella said during the first stop of his Southeast Asia tour.
“The investments we are announcing today will span digital infrastructure, skills acquisition and developer support and will help Indonesia thrive in this new era,” he said.
Nadella said Microsoft's investment will “bring the latest and greatest AI infrastructure to Indonesia.”
“We intend to lead this wave in terms of the AI infrastructure that is needed,” he said.
Today, we announced our largest investment in Indonesia in almost 30 years as we partner to advance our cloud and AI ambitions in Indonesia and help the country thrive in this new era. https://t.co/CqeLI9uVJd
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) April 30, 2024
With a population of approximately 280 million people, Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest economy and home to the region's third largest developer community after India and China.
Global consulting firm Kearney said in a 2020 study that AI could contribute nearly $1 trillion to Southeast Asia's gross domestic product by 2030, with Indonesia expected to capture $366 billion of that. Ta.
Mr. Nadella's visit comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Mr. Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta last month and said he would “look at” the country's manufacturing sector. .
Microsoft is looking to further support AI development around the world, last month announcing a multibillion-dollar investment in cloud and AI infrastructure from Japan and UAE-based AI company G42.
