State preparing to invite Microsoft to set up tech hub in Greater Noida

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government is preparing to roll out the red carpet for software giant Microsoft to set up a world-class technology hub in Greater Noida, UP foreign investment and export promotion minister Sidharth Nath Singh said on Wednesday.

“The state will roll out the red carpet for Microsoft to make it easier for the company to do business,” said Singh, who has been holding virtual road shows with global industry players in order to convince them to invest in the state by offering incentives.

Microsoft has said it wants to set up its North India campus in Greater Noida and the next step will be site inspection by the team both in Greater Noida and along the Yamuna Expressway. This will be followed by the company’s proposal which the state government will examine, he said.

A virtual agreement by Microsoft India MD Rajiv Kumar was concluded during a discussion with Singh on Monday and it will soon be followed by a site visit by the global software major. Singh said the authorities have identified options for land for Microsoft in Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway.

The government had earlier said it will make it simpler for investors willing to acquire land within 1 km distance on each side of the state’s expressways. Following the coronavirus pandemic, the state government has been trying to increase investment in the state and create additional employment opportunities, the minister said. He said that in the next three-four years, the campus strength would reach its maximum potential of 4,000, making it the second-largest tech hub of Microsoft in India.

The company already has two hubs in Hyderabad and Bengaluru with a strength of 5,000 and 2,000, respectively. “With Microsoft coming into the fold, Noida and Greater Noida will become a major destination for electronics and IT in the country,” Singh said in the context of TCS also putting up a campus in the area. Tech giant Wipro already has a campus there.

The Microsoft India Managing Director had evinced interest in setting up a tech hub in Noida in February. In a statement made at that time, he had said, “We are excited to tap into the engineering talent available in this part of the country to create a truly pioneering organisation that will build innovative solutions for global impact.”

The UP government also plans to set up an electronic city near the upcoming Jewar International airport along the Yamuna Expressway that connects Greater Noida with Agra.