Satya Nadella finds AI tech 'fascinating', says it is transforming future of software development

Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella finds AI technology very fascinating. “It is just fascinating to see how generative models are capturing the imagination. At the same time, one has to see AI ethics, safety, and alignment with human preferences,” said Nadella while addressing the Microsoft Future Ready Technology summit in Bengaluru.

Nadella said the world has changed as far as work style is concerned. “Soft skills that we need to learn as leaders, especially rebuilding people-to-people connections, will hold utmost importance and it will make us better coworkers and better leaders. The people who have been recruited will have to be re-recruited and skilling will play a very important role in it. In India, the number of people talking about re-skilling is twice the global rate.”

He said at its core, Microsoft is a company that gets up every morning to build better tools for developers so they can build more technology. Microsoft offers the most comprehensive developer toolchain to empower teams consisting of software professionals and frontline domain experts to innovate together so that they can do more with less, he added.

“Just like the use of programming languages and open source revolutionised the industry, AI is transforming the future of software development with GitHub at the centre of it all. Platforms like GitHub and GitHub Copilot are fundamentally changing the nature of software development, enabling developers to code more than 50 per cent faster.

Nadella highlighted some of the ways in which Indian innovation is transforming the lives of people locally and globally and pointed out that several major companies and startups are using Microsoft solutions. For instance, Infosys is using Microsoft's Azure infrastructure to power InfyMe, its “all in one and one for all” internal “Super App,” consolidating 200 employees' apps into one, which is used for everything from onboarding to time-sheet management, he said.

LambdaTest, a startup, is using Microsoft's GitHub to run its cloud-based test execution platform which developers can use to perform manual and automated tests on their sites and apps across 3,000 plus different browsers and operating systems.

Microsoft and ISRO have also collaborated to support space-tech startups in India and Microsoft Founders Hub will support space tech startups with technology tools and platforms. Both the organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard, he said, adding that the collaboration is aimed to strengthen ISRO’s vision of harnessing the market potential of the most promising space tech innovators and entrepreneurs in India.

Through this tie-up, the space tech startups identified by ISRO will be onboarded onto the Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub platform that supports startups at every stage of their journey from idea to unicorn.

Through Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, space-tech startup founders in India will have free access to the tech tools, and resources they need to build and run their businesses. This includes technical support to build and scale on Azure, best-in-class developer and productivity tools, including GitHub Enterprise, Visual Studio Enterprise and Microsoft 365, and access to smart analytics with Power BI and Dynamics 365.

Beyond access to technology, Microsoft will provide mentoring support to space tech entrepreneurs in areas ranging from space engineering to cloud technologies, product and design, fundraising, sales and marketing. In addition, founders will have access to Microsoft Learn for tailored startup-centric training content and programmes to help them build connections with the industry and potential customers.

Microsoft and ISRO will also jointly organise knowledge-sharing and thought leadership sessions for the startups with space industry experts. In addition, the collaboration will support founders with go-to-market strategies, technical support and opportunities to sell their solutions via Microsoft channels and marketplace.