PhysicsWallah Taps Microsoft to Take AI Skilling Beyond Metros
The listed edtech company is betting that AI skilling demand will rise fastest outside the big cities.
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Noida-based edtech firm PhysicsWallah is stepping up its employability push through a partnership with Microsoft Corp. to offer AI-led certification programs aimed at learners in India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
The courses will be delivered through PW Skills, the company’s skilling arm, and will cover generative AI, data analytics and digital marketing.
The courses on offer will integrate enterprise tools such as Copilot, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, GitHub and Microsoft Office 365 into the curriculum.
The emphasis will be on hands-on, workplace-aligned training, as hiring trends increasingly tilt towards applied skills.
For PhysicsWallah, which listed on the NSE on 18 November 2025, the tie-up marks a deeper move into job-focused upskilling as demand spreads beyond the major metros.
“Access to high-quality, industry-relevant education should not be limited by geography,” said Gopal Sharma, Chief Operating Officer at PhysicsWallah. He said the company is targeting both first-time job seekers and working professionals looking to upgrade their skills.
Microsoft is using local partnerships to widen adoption of its AI tools in India.
Geoff Hirsch, head of channel for Microsoft Global Skilling, said the initiative is focused on equipping learners with “job-relevant experience” that can be directly applied in professional settings.
PhysicsWallah plans to leverage its wide distribution network—including its app, offline centres and YouTube channels- to scale access. Introductory modules will be offered free on YouTube, while advanced certifications will be monetised.
A recently launched course on using Copilot for functional roles such as sales and marketing has already crossed 200,000 views, signalling rising interest in AI tools among non-technical users.
The data analytics programme will include SQL, Python and data visualisation, while the digital marketing track spans over 125 hours with a focus on AI-led campaign optimisation and performance marketing. Learners completing these programmes will receive joint certification from PhysicsWallah and Microsoft.
The partnership builds on an existing relationship between PhysicsWallah and Microsoft’s research and cloud ecosystem. In February 2025, Microsoft Research began working with the company to enhance the accuracy and reliability of its AI-based tutoring services.
At the heart of PhysicsWallah’s offering is its AI-driven suite, Alakh AI, built using GPT-4o via Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service.
The platform includes tools such as AI Guru, a personalised academic tutor, and the Smart Doubt Engine, which enables students to receive instant answers during live classes. Additional tools like AI Grader and Sahayak are designed to automate evaluation and create personalised learning pathways.
Serving nearly 2 million students daily, the platform aims to make high-quality education accessible at a fraction of the cost of traditional offline coaching, often priced as high as ₹100,000 annually.
In contrast, PhysicsWallah’s online courses for competitive exams such as the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) are priced between ₹4,200 and ₹4,500 per year.
“The mantra here really is how do we provide quality education in an affordable manner and accessible to every student, regardless of who they are or where they come from,” said Vineet Govil, chief technology and product officer at PhysicsWallah.
The new skilling push also fits into Microsoft’s broader India strategy. The company announced a $3 billion investment in India’s cloud and AI infrastructure in January 2025, then unveiled a larger $17.5 billion commitment in December 2025.
