Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella visited Singapore this week to experience first-hand how innovative technologies and insights support the region's technology ecosystem of developers, startups and companies across every industry.
During the CEO's visit, Microsoft made several local tie-ups.
In partnership with the Institute for Technical Education (ITE), Microsoft announced its first Data Centre Academy in Asia to advance applied data centre skills. The five-year commitment will empower some 300 ITE students with relevant technical skills needed for careers in the digital economy and thrive in a growing ICT sector.
Through a shared commitment to upskill students for technical jobs and prepare them for careers in the digital economy, the DCA is an extension of Microsoft's commitment to empowering ITE students to thrive in a growing ICT sector. According to IDC, Microsoft, its ecosystem of partners, and customers will create over 86,000 new jobs in Singapore by 2026, of which over 50,000 will be skilled IT jobs.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Microsoft announced a collaboration to accelerate the creation of sustainable software solutions for industries in Singapore and around the globe. The two parties will jointly advance the implementation of principles, tools and frameworks for developing sustainable software solutions that empower businesses to measure, track and report their carbon and optimize their resources more efficiently.
At a Microsoft Innovators event later, Nadella met local and regional developers and business leaders. He reinforced the digital imperative for every organization and how the Microsoft Cloud can foster innovation, create economic progress and help businesses grow in Asia.
“In a world of increasing headwinds, digital technology is the ultimate tailwind,” says Nadella. “It’s fantastic to see first-hand the innovation taking place across Southeast Asia and how organizations across the region are applying the power of the Microsoft Cloud to do more with less.”
Microsoft has operated in Asia for more than 35 years. The region is a hub of innovation and resourcefulness, with Asia expected to generate half of the world’s GDP by 2050 and account for more than half of all R&D investments by 2030.
Nadella highlighted how Asian innovation is already transforming people's lives locally and globally. He met with several innovators from across the region, including Vulcan Coalition, a Thai organization creating new Artificial Intelligence services in the Thai language to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.
He also met Priyanka Shah, a Singaporean developer, who is working to encourage employability with the Singapore Autism society and female developers throughout the region with AI and Power Platform certification.
There were discussions with the Singapore National Parks Board, which created a mobile application to help inspection officers quickly identify potential illegal shark and ray fin shipments.
Nadella also met representatives of Zuellig Pharma, which used a low-code platform for healthcare distribution to deliver medical supplies on time during the pandemic, and Music Tribe, a global manufacturer of professional music equipment, recently redesigned and replaced its entire IT infrastructure by moving to the Microsoft Cloud.