Microsoft has recently announced plans to invest over $10 billion in cloud, data centre and AI infrastructure across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait by 2030.
In a blog post, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith wrote the company is also working to make digital services in the region more resilient.
Bloomberg reported the announcement is Microsoft’s first significant update on its Middle East business since the outbreak of the U.S. war with Iran, noting the $10 billion figure includes a $7.9 billion investment pledge it made for the UAE last year. This means only about $2 billion of the recent commitment is new spending.
Smith said the company will spend more than $400 million on subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East during the period.
“This investment will expand capacity, strengthen regional data flows, and support Microsoft’s growing cloud and AI infrastructure footprint across the region,” Smith said.
Microsoft is also launching a Middle East digital resilience initiative to help organisations limit disruption and restore services faster. Smith said it will provide assessment, technical guidance and continuity planning to find vulnerabilities, protect critical data and test recovery systems.
Smith noted the spending forms part of Microsoft’s expansion across the region. He added the company is continuing investments planned before the conflict and increasing them rather than scaling back.
In 2024 Microsoft invested $1.5 billion for a minority stake in UAE-based G42, a deal which gave the tech giant a seat on the company’s board of directors. It also struck a deal to use a data centre in the UAE.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Microsoft
