MICROSOFT chairman and chief executive Satya Nadella last week completed a three-country tour across South-east Asia from April 30 to May 2, with each stop delivering big-ticket investments and upskilling initiatives.

His high-level visit followed Apple chief Tim Cook’s Asean tour to Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam last month, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s trips last December to Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

Microsoft is vying with the likes of Google, Amazon and Nvidia to expand its footprint in South-east Asia, a fast-growing region that is seeing increasing demand for these companies’ services.