Microsoft is on track to spend US$5.5 billion ($7.06 billion) on cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Singapore from 2025 through 2029, according to its vice chair and president, Brad Smith. The figure covers both infrastructure and ongoing operational costs across the five-year period, though Microsoft did not break out how much was already committed versus new spending.
Alongside the investment, Microsoft announced a package of programmes aimed at broadening AI access across the country.
More than 200,000 tertiary students will receive free access to Microsoft 365 Premium with Copilot for 12 months, while educators at primary and secondary schools and institutes of higher learning will get free AI training through an expanded Elevate for Educators programme.
Non-profit leaders will also gain access to Elevate for Changemakers, a new initiative to build practical AI skills in civil society organisations.
"AI will be the next great general-purpose technology [after electricity. Building the supporting] infrastructure is important, but history shows us that skilling is equally important. In order to get a technology adopted across the economy, people need to have the skills to use it," says Smith, at the ATxInspire event in Singapore earlier today.
Singapore has already made AI adoption a policy priority. The country ranked second globally in the Microsoft Research AI Economy Institute's AI Diffusion Report, which measures how broadly AI tools are being absorbed into the economy. Demand for AI literacy skills has grown more than 70% year on year, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data.
See also: OpenAI valued at US$852 bil after completing US$122 bil round
Dr Janil Puthucheary, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Education and Sustainability and the Environment, says baseline AI proficiency is becoming as fundamental as digital literacy. "By equipping students with a hands-on experience using AI tools, and supporting our educators to adopt them confidently, we are strengthening the foundations for Singapore's future workforce," he says.
The student offer requires a valid tertiary email address and mirrors a similar programme Microsoft announced for US students in recent months. Microsoft 365 Premium with Copilot spans applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote.
“We're all-in on Singapore’s AI future, and access and skills will be fundamental to fully realising this nation's ambitions. By embedding AI literacy into everyday learning and in how every sector, from enterprise to non-profits, operates, we’re building on the National AI Strategy 2.0 to drive inclusive, trusted AI adoption for genuine impact,” says Wee Luen Chia, managing director of Microsoft Singapore.
