TLDR
- Microsoft announced it is on pace to invest $50 billion in AI across the ‘Global South’ by end of decade.
- The news came at the AI Action Summit in New Delhi on Wednesday.
- The Global South covers developing and lower-income countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere.
- Microsoft pledged $17.5 billion in AI investments in India last year.
- MSFT stock closed down 1.11% at $396.86 on February 17.
Microsoft (MSFT) stock slipped 1.11% to close at $396.86 on February 17, the same day the company confirmed plans to pour $50 billion into AI infrastructure across the ‘Global South’ before the decade is out.
The announcement landed at the AI Action Summit in New Delhi, where senior tech executives and world leaders gathered this week to discuss the future of AI investment.
Microsoft described itself as “on pace” to hit the target but gave no specific breakdown of how the money will be distributed across individual countries or regions.
The Global South refers to developing, emerging, and lower-income nations, the majority of which sit in the southern hemisphere.
India Already a Major Piece
India has been at the front of Microsoft’s emerging market push. Last year the company committed $17.5 billion to AI investments there, one of the largest single-country pledges Microsoft has made anywhere in the world.
With India’s digital economy growing fast, Microsoft has been building out data center capacity and AI infrastructure to match that demand.
Holding the summit in New Delhi sent a clear message about where Microsoft sees some of its biggest near-term opportunities.
How This Fits Microsoft’s Global Spending
The $50 billion Global South pledge sits on top of Microsoft’s already heavy global AI spending, which has stretched into the hundreds of billions across North America, Europe, and Asia in recent years.
The move pushes that strategy into markets that have traditionally attracted less technology investment, opening up new ground for Microsoft to establish infrastructure ahead of competitors.
No new deals at the country level were confirmed at the summit outside of the headline $50 billion figure.
MSFT Stock on February 18
After closing at $396.86 on February 17, MSFT edged back up in pre-market trading on February 18, gaining 0.68% to sit at around $399.54 before the opening bell.
The $17.5 billion already committed to India is expected to count toward the broader $50 billion Global South total, though Microsoft has not formally confirmed the exact accounting.
