India, Oct. 22 -- Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella's compensation surged to $96.5 million for the 2024-2025 financial year - his highest since taking charge more than a decade ago.

The company's board linked the jump in his pay to Microsoft's advances in artificial intelligence (AI), Bloomberg reported.

His compensation stood at $79.1 million in the previous financial year.

Pay packages for Nadella's top executives also climbed in the year ended June.

Shares of the world's largest software firm have risen 23 percent this year through Tuesday's close.

Microsoft's Azure cloud platform has consistently outperformed rivals like Amazon.com Inc. in growth.

Early on, he recognised the potential of cloud computing and pushed ...