25 years of Microsoft IDC in Hyderabad: Here's what the tech giant accomplished in furthering innovation

Hyderabad: Microsoft India Development Centre (IDC) is commemorating a quarter-century of groundbreaking research, engineering, and development that has played a pivotal role in shaping world-class products, including Copilots and other AI applications. Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev was present at a celebration to mark the milestone occasion at IDC Hyderabad.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajiv Kumar, MD, Microsoft IDC, and CVP, Experiences + Devices India, said, “In the last 25 years, the India Development Centre has made remarkable strides, from learning to build products remotely to deeply contributing across all of Microsoft's products and services.

IDC listed its contributions in creating and advancing some of Microsoft’s most exciting offerings such as Azure, Windows, Office and Bing. “IDC has played an integral role in advancing Microsoft’s mission of empowering every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. It is now poised for the next leap of innovation and impact, by leveraging AI and LLMs to enhance existing products, create new products, and transform how products are developed,” IDC said, in a press release.

IDC’s achievements in the past 25 years

Microsoft 365 (Office) Mobile

IDC played a key 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.

Indian language support

IDC’s work enabled support for 20 Indian languages on Microsoft Translator, empowering linguistic diversity and breaking language barriers. The technology was also used in developing Jugalbandi, the Generative AI chatbot enabling easy access to information on government services to millions of Indians in their local language.

Azure specialized AI supercomputer

IDC has been a leader in building and managing the infrastructure and services for Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform. It has also been involved in creating the Azure Supercomputer, one of the world’s most powerful AI supercomputers, which can run large-scale AI models and applications with record speed and efficiency.

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.