Microsoft India Development Centre is celebrating a quarter-century of pioneering research, engineering and development that has significantly transformed world-class products like Copilots and other AI-powered applications. IDC has contributed to creating and advancing several of Microsoft’s most exciting offerings, like Azure, Windows, Office, and Bing. Through the work, it has acted as an integral part in advancing Microsoft’s mission of empowering people and organisations worldwide to achieve more. It is now prepared for the next giant leap of innovation and impact by harnessing the power of AI and LLMs to improve current products, develop new ones, and transform how they are built.   

IDC consists of some of the brightest minds in the industry. Its environment fosters a culture of collaboration, learning, and growth that empowers employees to be their creative best. It also engages with the local community and ecosystem through various initiatives that support education, skilling and social good. IDC’s goal is to provide ample opportunity to Indian talent so that the next generation of engineers can impact 8 billion people on the planet.   

Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director, Microsoft IDC, and CVP of Experiences + Devices India, said, “In the last 25 years, the India Development Center has made remarkable strides, from learning to build products remotely to deeply contributing across all of Microsoft’s products and services. Today, we celebrate our achievements and the exceptional workplace culture, where the best minds come to work, innovate, and create global impact. As we enter the next phase of revolutionary technology of Generative AI, the next 25 years hold an even greater promise, with the potential to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more”.  

A few of the significant achievements of the India Development Centre in the past 25 years include:   

1. Microsoft 365 (Office) Mobile: IDC played a crucial role in developing and delivering the Microsoft 365 (Office) mobile app, a suite of productivity apps for Android and iOS devices that have crossed over 100 million monthly active users worldwide and offer a seamless and secure experience across devices.   
2. Indian language support: IDC enabled support for 20 Indian languages on Microsoft Translator, empowering linguistic diversity and breaking language barriers. Jugalbandi, the Generative AI chatbot enabling millions of Indians to access information on government services in their local language easily, was also developed using this technology.   
3. Azure Specialized AI Supercomputer: IDC has been leading the process of building and managing the infrastructure and services for Microsoft’s cloud computing platform- Azure. It has also been involved in creating the Azure Supercomputer, one of the world’s most powerful AI supercomputers that can run large-scale AI models and applications with record speed and efficiency.   
4. Making Windows accessible: As part of Microsoft’s commitment to making technology more accessible and inclusive, IDC has developed and enhanced features such as voice access, narrator, magnifier, eye control, and dictation on Windows 11, which allow users to interact with their devices using natural and intuitive modalities.