The partnership aims to drive AI development and implementation in key sectors such as agriculture, mobility, education, sustainability, and governance.
Published Feb 13, 2025 | 7:10 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 13, 2025 | 7:10 PM
Expansion of IT exports in India: Telangana’s contribution and growth since 2014
Synopsis: Telangana aims to revolutionise key sectors, enhance governance, boost economic progress, and improve public services. The partnership with Google is a major milestone in its digital transformation journey. In a separate development, Microsoft announced a ₹15,000 crore investment to expand its hyperscale AI data centres in Hyderabad.
Tech major Google on Thursday 13 February, announced a strategic collaboration with the Government of Telangana to leverage the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the state.
This partnership, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aims to drive AI development and implementation in key sectors such as agriculture, mobility, education, sustainability, and governance. The initiative seeks to foster innovation, bridge the digital divide, and equip the workforce with future-ready skills.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, IT Minister D Sridhar Babu, and Google representatives.
As part of the collaboration, Google will work with the Telangana government to develop AI-powered agricultural solutions to support farmers and enhance mobility through transit data integration and road information sharing.
The partnership will also focus on AI-driven skilling and upskilling programmes, strengthening digital learning ecosystems through Google for Education, and launching an Open Agriculture Network to connect farmers with essential resources.
Additionally, the initiative aims to improve open data access via Google’s Data Commons platform, accelerate solar adoption using Google’s Solar API, and support the startup ecosystem through accelerator programs.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said, “This collaboration with Google strengthens our vision for an AI-driven Telangana. By integrating cutting-edge AI technologies, we aim to revolutionise key sectors, enhance governance, boost economic progress, and improve public services. This partnership is a major milestone in our digital transformation journey.”
Preeti Lobana, Country Manager of Google India, added, “This collaboration underscores Google’s commitment to India’s digital future. We are excited to combine our AI expertise with Telangana’s vision to build an AI-ready workforce, foster startup innovation, and address critical areas like agriculture, education, and sustainability. AI has immense potential to drive economic growth in these sectors, and we look forward to working with Telangana to unlock these opportunities and promote equitable development across the state.”
In a separate development on Thursday, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and IT Minister Sridhar Babu inaugurated Microsoft’s new campus in Hyderabad, marking the company’s 25-year journey in the city.
The 1.1 million sq. ft. LEED-certified facility in Gachibowli will accommodate an additional 2,500 employees, further strengthening Hyderabad’s status as a global IT hub. Microsoft’s Hyderabad campus is already its largest R&D center outside the US, and this expansion reinforces the city’s leadership in technology and innovation.
With over 20,000 professionals employed across India — more than half based in Hyderabad — Microsoft plans to hire 4,800 more employees with the launch of the new facility.
As part of its commitment to Telangana, Microsoft also announced a major AI skilling initiative in collaboration with the state government, aiming to train 1.2 lakh individuals across various sectors.
Under the ADVANTA(I)GE Telangana initiative, Microsoft will roll out three key AI-focused programmes:
Additionally, Microsoft will establish an AI Centre of Excellence (AICoE) in partnership with the Telangana government. This center will provide a cloud-based AI infrastructure, a centralised AI Knowledge Hub, and resources to support AI-driven research and innovation.
To bolster AI capabilities, Microsoft also announced a ₹15,000 crore investment to expand its hyperscale AI data centres in Hyderabad. This will make the region one of Microsoft’s largest global data hubs.
An MoU formalizing these initiatives was signed between Microsoft and the ITE&C Department, exchanged in the presence of the Chief Minister and the IT Minister. This partnership follows a meeting between CM Revanth Reddy and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in January 2025, where both parties committed to modernising government IT and cloud infrastructure, and accelerating AI adoption.
Revanth Reddy said: “Hyderabad and Microsoft have grown together, and as a proud representative of this state, I can confidently say this is just the beginning. The world sees Hyderabad as a global technology powerhouse, a hub of innovation and talent. With partners like Microsoft, the future is even brighter.”
Sridhar Babu added: “The new campus and AI initiatives launched by Microsoft demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, inclusivity, and innovation in Telangana.”
Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director & President, Microsoft India Development Centre, emphasised Microsoft’s dedication to Telangana’s innovation ecosystem, stating: “The expansion of our Hyderabad campus reaffirms our commitment to India’s AI-driven future. This facility will enable our teams to develop cutting-edge AI solutions and contribute to the nation’s digital transformation.”
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
