Microsoft Research India - The evolution

Key Takeaways

[Music] Microsoft [Music] Microsoft Research India just turned 20. Over the past two decades, the lab has arguably established itself as one of the leading centers of research and computer science in the country with a track record of impactful work conceived and created right here in India, often in deep collaboration with ecosystem. I invite you to hear from leaders past and present of micro research on the story of the lab's creation and its journey. Back in the early 2000s, there was a lot of buzz about Indian computer science engineers. But the thing that struck me was research in India was not very popular, especially in computer science. And I thought, why not, you know, convince Rick Rashid to you know set up a lab in India that would focus on developing world-class research in India, hire the best talent and make a name for ourselves. There was a unique opportunity for us to create a fundamental basic research lab of the highest work like Microsoft research in the in the US, UK and China in India where there is an enormous amount of talent. We felt that was a a huge opportunity for us um and also as an opportunity for India. When we think about the strategy for Microsoft research around the world, uh India and the broader subcontinent is one of those places that 20 years ago we assessed was going to become a big deal. Uh we actually established the lab uh we established partnerships uh with leading universities and every year we would put on major conferences in different cities to stimulate interest. That's how we started. Now 20 years later, you know, India has totally arrived. [Music] Now MSR India has a long-standing tradition of doing great algorithmic research deeply rooted in science and innovation and many of its projects have gone to scale. Additionally, India has, you know, its its expertise in TM and technology for emerging markets and really representing the interests and the culture of over a billion people that otherwise might not have a strong enough voice. Time flies and I can't believe it's been 20 years since the inception of Microsoft Research India. Our colleagues have really hit it out of the park, solved long-standing open problems, created research that has won multiple test of time awards, created entirely new sub areas of computing such as ICTD, which led to the creation of technology and empowerment as an area, created sub fields of machine learning such as extreme classification. work from the lab in machine learning in systems programming languages and software engineering have had significant impact on Microsoft and the entire tech industry. The research fellow program from the lab has trained an entire generation of undergraduate students who have gone on to do great research and entrepreneurship. Spin-offs from the lab such as Digital Green, Karia, and Everwell are out there thriving, helping millions and millions of people. In summary, the impact from the lab over the past 20 years has exceeded my wildest expectations, and I'm extremely hopeful and eager to see what comes next. >> I think hunger, the drive for success, the hunger to prove everything and do everything. In this hunger we have had from day one. To me that really sets MSR India apart >> in this AI era. It's going to be essential to figure out how we scale I to help everybody and I think the India lab will play a central role in that mission. The thing that sort of really inspires me is that combination of folks coming together, right? Which is Microsoft Research India, uh, a nonprofit organization and the teachers all co-designing it together. I mean, that's when you have that type of feedback loop creating new products, that's magic. And that I think is at the end of the day what what we all live for. And it's fantastic to see that. Well, I I just think it's incredible that the lab now is 20 years old. It always makes you feel really good when something you start like this turns out so well. [Music] >> The 20th anniversary of the lab is certainly a milestone to celebrate in what has been a long and deeply satisfying journey both for my very talented colleagues and for me personally. Our work has spanned foundational advances in IML to breakthrough systems that have enabled these advances and from deep theoretical insights into the science of AI to applications that have touched millions. Importantly, we have achieved this by working across disciplines and in an open and collaborative manner with academia, NOS's and startups. I'm filled with pride as I look at what has been accomplished and I'm excited by what lies ahead. [Music] [Music]