New Delhi, Sept. 21 -- Microsoft has made its fourth cloud region in India operational in Hyderabad, expanding its local infrastructure as demand for cloud and AI workloads increases.
The new India South Central region joins Microsoft's existing cloud regions in Pune, Chennai and Mumbai. The Hyderabad region has a three-zone architecture designed to provide resilience and support further capacity expansion. Microsoft said additional Azure and AI services will be introduced over time.
The company has designated India South Central as a strategic hub for Asia and the Global South. It is part of Microsoft's previously announced $20.5 billion investment commitment in India, which includes spending on cloud and AI infrastructure.
Microsoft said its cloud regions in India are now equipped with AI-capable hardware, high-efficiency cooling systems and the infrastructure required to run advanced AI workloads. The Hyderabad region was designed to support AI workloads from the outset.
The new region will also support organisations that need to keep eligible sensitive workloads in India. As supported services become available, customers will be able to deploy such workloads using controls intended to address security, compliance and data-sovereignty requirements.
Microsoft said its India cloud regions provide capabilities aligned with MeitY guidelines covering applicable data protection and cybersecurity requirements, including the Digital Personal Data Protection framework and guidance from the Reserve Bank of India and CERT-In.
Adani Group, Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank and PB Pay are among the organisations that have signed up for the new Hyderabad region, Microsoft said.
The company is also using a different cooling design for the new region. Microsoft said high-efficiency mechanical cooling at India South Central requires effectively zero water for cooling.
The Hyderabad region is being brought online as India expands its data-centre capacity to support AI applications. Microsoft said the country's cloud regions are intended to provide organisations with local infrastructure for workloads that require cloud capacity, data residency and resilience.
The launch is part of Microsoft's broader infrastructure expansion in India. The company had earlier announced a $3 billion investment over two years in cloud and AI infrastructure, while its latest commitment takes its overall investment pledge in the country to $20.5 billion.
Microsoft's move comes as demand for computing infrastructure increases with the adoption of generative and enterprise AI. Industry estimates cited at the company's infrastructure summit indicate that India's data-centre build-out could generate $140 billion to $200 billion in economic output through 2030.
With the Hyderabad region now operational, Microsoft has four cloud regions in India, giving customers access to infrastructure across the north, south and west of the country. The company said the new region will progressively add Azure and AI services as capacity and services become available.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from TechCircle.