Telangana, Microsoft join hands to strengthen AI education

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said Telangana and Microsoft were now partners to launch the “ADVANTA(I)GE TELANGANA” initiative, which includes an AI Foundation Academy

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said Telangana and Microsoft were now partners to launch the “ADVANTA(I)GE TELANGANA” initiative, which includes an AI Foundation Academy.

With this partnership, Telangana and Microsoft would introduce AI education in 500 government schools and also use AI for governance and public services, he said at the inauguration of the new Microsoft office here on Thursday.

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“I take pride in announcing that Microsoft will establish its AI Centre of Excellence in collaboration with the Telangana government,” Revanth Reddy said. The Centre would develop cloud-based AI infrastructure, including AI knowledge hub. This repository would compile research, case studies, and best practices benefiting thousands of employees across the State.

The state-of-the-art 1.1 million square feet LEED-certified building in Gachibowli will house 2,500 additional employees. With the launch of the new building, Microsoft plans to hire another 4,800 employees.

It is already Microsoft’s largest R&D hub outside US Headquarters and the inauguration of the new campus further consolidates Hyderabad’s position as the leading global IT powerhouse.

Microsoft employs over 20,000 professionals in India, over half of whom work in Hyderabad.

Under the first program ADVANTA(I)GE TELANGANA, Microsoft is launching an AI Foundations Academy to introduce AI education to 500 government schools benefiting 50,000 students.

Microsoft also announced another landmark initiative in partnership with Telangana government to impart AI training to over 1.2 lakh persons in the State.

Additionally, the AI-Industry Pro programme will upskill 20,000 industry professionals across Telangana. The third program AI-Govern initiative will further train 50,000 government officials in critical areas such as digital productivity, Generative AI, and cybersecurity.

To support the growth of AI, Microsoft has further announced doubling of its investments in hyperscale AI data centers in Telangana with an additional investment of Rs 15,000 crore in the coming years. This will make Hyderabad region one of the largest data hubs of Microsoft globally.