Microsoft Invests $17.5 Billion in India as It Lays Off Americans, Imports H-1B Visa Workers

Microsoft has announced plans to invest $17.5 billion in India over the next four years, focusing on the country’s rapidly growing data center market. Meanwhile in the United States, the software giant is laying off Americans, importing H-1B visa workers, and cozying up to the Chinese government.

Nikkei Asia reports that Microsoft has decided to invest $17.5 billion in India over the next four years, joining the ranks of tech giants Google and Amazon Web Services in tapping into the country’s booming data center market. The announcement comes as India experiences a surge in demand for data centers, driven by factors such as the increasing adoption of cloud computing, the growth of e-commerce, and the government’s push for digitization.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on December 9th to discuss the company’s investment plans. The substantial investment is expected to boost India’s digital infrastructure and contribute to the country’s economic growth. It also underscores the importance of India as a key market for global technology companies.

The data center market in India has been attracting significant attention from US tech giants due to the country’s low costs and the increasing demand for AI and cloud computing services. Google and Amazon Web Services have already announced their plans to invest in India’s data center infrastructure, recognizing the immense potential for growth in the country.

Microsoft’s investment in India’s data center market is expected to create numerous job opportunities and support the Indian technology sector. The company has already established a strong presence in India, with a large workforce and multiple offices across the country. The latest investment will further strengthen Microsoft’s position in the Indian market and enable it to better serve its customers in the region.

Breitbart News reported in July that the company is laying off 9,000 Americans even as it brings in 6,000 H-1B visa workers, likely to be from India:

Microsoft has recently drawn criticism for its decision to apply for thousands of H-1B visas even as it lays off a significant portion of its workforce. The move has sparked outrage among some who believe that American jobs should be prioritized, especially during a time of economic uncertainty.

According to data compiled by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, Microsoft has applied for 4,712 H-1B visas in the 2025 fiscal year alone. However, anecdotal evidence from former employees and industry insiders suggests that the actual number may be closer to 6,000, although this figure has not been independently verified.

India isn’t the only foreign country that Microsoft continues to prioritize. A recent report labeled Microsoft an “enduring risk” based on its ties to communist China:

For decades, Americans viewed Microsoft as a pillar of national technology infrastructure. Its systems power everything from federal email to Pentagon cloud networks. A new report from Horizon, a geopolitical analysis firm, paints a different picture. The report, titled: “Microsoft in China: An Enduring Risk Profile and the National Security Implications,” reveals the story of a tech giant that spent thirty years cultivating deep ties with the Chinese Communist Party and its vast security apparatus, all while embedding itself into nearly every corner of the United States government.

The reckoning began earlier this year, when ProPublica exposed Microsoft’s quiet reliance on China-based workers to support sensitive Department of War cloud systems. These workers, described internally as “digital escorts,” were allowed to assist with troubleshooting and maintenance for U.S. military networks. Pentagon officials publicly labeled the practice a breach of trust. Microsoft insisted the offshore support was only for after-hours tasks and claimed no customer data was directly accessible.

COMMENTS