Microsoft taps Indian IT giants for agentic AI rollout

Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has announced a major expansion of the software giant’s artificial intelligence (AI) footprint in India, teaming up with four of the country’s largest IT services companies to deploy agentic AI capabilities across enterprises.

As part of the deal, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Wipro – which Microsoft described as “frontier firms” – will collectively deploy over 200,000 Microsoft Copilot licences, or more than 50,000 per firm.

Unlike the first wave of generative AI, which focused on content creation and chatbots, agentic AI refers to intelligent systems capable of taking initiative, making decisions, and generating insights autonomously with minimal human oversight.

TCS plans to use agentic AI to democratise AI access for its workforce, providing a personalised AI coach to employees while using the tools to help them code faster and digitise operations. The firm said Microsoft’s cloud and data technologies are now integral to its internal business transformation.

Meanwhile, Infosys is focused on integrating Microsoft’s intelligence layer with its AI and data platforms. Infosys CEO Salil Parekh said the firm is building a human plus agent operating model to speed up modernisation and service delivery. The company is also looking to move from traditional workflows to multi-agent systems that can handle complex tasks with less oversight.

Cognizant is positioning itself as “client zero” for Microsoft Copilot, refining Copilot and agentic AI applications internally before rolling out the technology to help customers rewire how they access data and make decisions. CEO Ravi Kumar S. said the company hopes to bridge the gap between AI infrastructure investments and extracting business value, noting that generative AI has the potential to revolutionise every industry. 

Wipro is taking a similar approach to infrastructure and skills, establishing a dedicated Microsoft Innovation Hub at its partner labs in Bengaluru. The company has already upskilled 25,000 employees in Microsoft Cloud and GitHub technologies and plans to embed AI agents across workflows to empower knowledge workers, enhance customer experience, and boost productivity.

“Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, and Wipro aren’t just embracing AI – they’re setting the global pace,” said Puneet Chandok, president of Microsoft India and South Asia. “These global enterprises are moving beyond experimentation to full-scale deployment, embedding Microsoft Copilot into the fabric of everyday work.

“This bold adoption is inspiring a new era of enterprise transformation, powered by trusted digital collaborators. The blueprint is being written here – where speed, scale, and impact converge to redefine what’s possible,” he added.

The announcement comes on the heels of Microsoft’s plan to invest $17.5bn in India over the next four years to 2029. That investment is earmarked for cloud infrastructure, AI skilling, and operational expansion, underscoring the country’s role on the global AI stage.

One of Microsoft’s key priorities in India is building hyperscale infrastructure to support AI adoption across the subcontinent. The company’s Hyderabad cloud region, comprising three availability zones, is set to go live in mid-2026, while plans are afoot to expand existing datacentre facilities in Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune.  

Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s union minister of electronics and IT, said: “As AI reshapes the digital economy, India remains committed to innovation anchored in trust and sovereignty. Microsoft’s landmark investment signals India’s rise as a reliable technology partner for the world. This partnership will set new benchmarks and drive the country’s leap from digital public infrastructure to AI public infrastructure.”