Microsoft is reinforcing its commitment to Mexico with a substantial investment of $1.3 billion over the next three years, as announced by Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella at the Microsoft AI Tour 2024 in Mexico City. The investment will focus on enhancing AI infrastructure and initiatives designed to promote digital and AI skills across the country.
Key Investment Areas
A significant portion of the funds will support the Artificial Intelligence National Skills program, which aims to democratize access to AI skills, with a target of training 5 million people. The investment will also be allocated to improving connectivity and encouraging the adoption of AI by small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to accelerate their digital transformation and enhance business operations.
“We are entering a new era of AI with the promise to create inclusive economic growth and opportunity across every role, industry, and country, including in Mexico,” said Satya Nadella. “Our investments in AI infrastructure and skilling in Mexico will help ensure people and organizations across the country realize the benefits of this technology shift.”
Expanding AI Infrastructure
Microsoft’s expansion in Mexico, marking 38 years of operations, is seizing the opportunities presented by technology and artificial intelligence. This strategic investment underscores Microsoft’s recognition of AI as a catalyst for social and economic advancement. The plan involves increasing local computing capacity and fostering innovation within the Mexican AI ecosystem.
AI Access and Partnerships
Microsoft’s AI Access Principles guide this expansion, promoting innovation and fair competition. The company is dedicated to making investments, establishing business collaborations, and creating programs that ensure widespread access to its AI technology. This initiative aims to empower organizations and individuals to utilize and develop AI to serve the public good.
Notable examples of AI adoption within Mexico include Grupo Bimbo, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Cemex. Tecnológico de Monterrey has developed Tecgpt, a platform using Microsoft generative AI, to enhance education and improve efficiency among students, teachers, and staff. Cemex has integrated Microsoft’s AI solutions to improve productivity and operational efficiency across business areas, including sales, production, and supply chain.
National Skills Initiative
The Artificial Intelligence National Skills Initiative is a key component of Microsoft’s plan. The initiative seeks to democratize AI skills, training 5 million people over three years. Microsoft is partnering with governments, industries, educational institutions, and civil society to provide training to a broad audience. The company is also developing a training platform for job seekers and employees, which will offer resources aligned with the current demands of the labor market. Generative AI will be a core focus, to ensure accessibility and integration in everyday tasks.
Support for SMBs
According to a 2023 Microsoft study, 57% of SMBs in Mexico were already using AI, primarily to improve operational efficiency, make data-driven decisions, and personalize customer experiences. Microsoft is investing in The Bridge Accelerator program to support regional SMBs and help them integrate into the North American industry value chains through the implementation of an AI platform for SMBs (“PyMAIs”).
This initiative aims to enable 30,000 SMBs in the next three years to modernize their business practices, increase market competitiveness, expand customer reach, and become ready for cross-border supply networks.
AI for Good Initiatives
Microsoft is also committed to applying AI through its AI for Good program to address health, connectivity, and sustainability challenges in Mexico.
- Health Challenges: In response to the challenge of retinopathy of prematurity (RoP), a leading cause of infant blindness, Microsoft AI for Good has developed AI models that run on smartphones, allowing doctors in Mexico to diagnose RoP effectively.
- Connectivity: Microsoft and Viasat have expanded their collaboration to provide internet access to more than 1.45 million people in Mexico by the end of 2025. This includes the deployment of new networks to connect over 150,000 Mexicans previously without cellular connectivity, supported by Viasat’s female-led Mexico Ambassador Program.
Sustainability Efforts
Microsoft is committed to environmental sustainability, with goals to become carbon negative, water positive, and a zero-waste company by 2030. The company builds and operates cloud computing infrastructure, with over 60 datacenter regions globally, to enhance performance, efficiency, and sustainability.
Microsoft is making long-term investments in renewable energy. The company has contracted over 34 GW of renewable energy across 24 countries, supporting the transition to clean energy. In Mexico, Microsoft is also focused on improving access to clean water and sanitation solutions, along with ecosystem restoration projects.
Recent initiatives include:
- A 6-year agreement with The Next 150 to remove up to 95,000 tons of CO2 through a biochar project in Guanajuato, Mexico.
- A 1-year deal with Toroto SAPI de CV to remove 234,000 tons of CO2 through a forest ecosystem restoration project in the state of Campeche, Mexico.
These projects provide additional benefits to the community, supporting local farmers and biodiversity.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates Microsoft’s trust and commitment to Mexico supporting inclusive economic growth in the country. This investment has already been shared with the incoming Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, to ensure his support and achieve the greatest impact in our country. With this, we are empowering individuals, companies, and society to enhance innovation and democratize the use of AI through skills development, knowledge sharing, and access to cutting-edge technology and digital infrastructure, while also meeting our sustainability goals,” says Rafael Sánchez Loza, General Manager of Microsoft Mexico.
Microsoft’s commitment focuses on leveraging technology as a catalyst for transformation, to harness digitalization, AI, and data to achieve sustained growth. The company emphasizes responsible innovation, with ethics and sustainability at the forefront, aiming to create positive impact and ensure equitable access to technology benefits for all Mexican citizens.
