Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella is set to visit Southeast Asia next week. The agenda for his visit includes discussions on artificial intelligence (AI) with government officials and developers.
What Happened: Nadella’s visit to Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia will focus on Microsoft’s AI-related plans in the region, reported The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
The trip is scheduled to take place after a recent visit by Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook, who expressed interest in investing in manufacturing in Indonesia.
Microsoft has a long-standing relationship with Southeast Asia, a region experiencing a surge in demand for data centers and advanced technologies to drive online commerce, digital transactions, and disruptive tech startups.
The company’s Azure cloud-computing unit, which competes with Amazon, Google, and Alibaba in the region, opened its first Southeast Asia data center in Singapore in 2010.
Analysts anticipate substantial regional demand for AI-powered technology, which has already contributed to Microsoft’s bottom line through its partnership with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Microsoft has invested around $13 billion in OpenAI to secure a 49% stake in the startup’s for-profit arm, positioning itself as a major player in the AI race.
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