Microsoft’s US$4bn Investment in France’s Data Centres

At the Choose France summit, Microsoft shared details of its €4bn (US$4.31bn) investment in France’s data centre infrastructure, which will advance the adoption of AI and cloud technologies across the country. 

Microsoft wants this to build long-term benefits for the French economy and its job market. 

Microsoft's sustainable AI investment strengthens France's data centre landscape

France is a well-established data centre region and is home to new data centre facilities developed by leading companies, such as Digital Realty and Blackstone, which is why we featured France in our Top 10: Countries with the Most Data Centres. 

In a recent deal facilitated by Schneider Electric, Equinix signed one of the largest Power Purchase Agreement deals in French history with wpd. This deal plans to build wind farms to further decarbonise the grid. NTT has also invested in the wider development of its data centre presence across Europe and expanding its Gen AI capabilities.

Now, Microsoft’s investment will meet the increased demand for sustainable AI specific compute power needed by private and public organisations. 

A new data centre will be built close to Mulhouse in eastern France, while Microsoft’s existing sites in Paris and Marseille will grow.

“Business France welcomes Microsoft’s decision to locate its datacenter in France to strengthen French sovereignty in artificial intelligence. This project is a perfect illustration of the agency’s commitment to supporting strategic projects in conjunction with local players. The establishment of this state-of-the-art data centre is a major milestone in the construction of an ambitious digital ecosystem,” said Laurent Saint Martin, General Manager of Business France.

Brad Smith, Vice Chair & President of Microsoft, agreed that this major investment demonstrates a steadfast commitment to supporting digital innovation and economic growth in France. 

“We are building state-of-the-art Cloud and AI infrastructure, training people with AI skills, and supporting French startups as they use our technology with confidence to grow in a fair and responsible way,” said Brad. 

Microsoft’s new data centre region in Thailand

Over in Thailand, Microsoft has also pledged to build new cloud and AI infrastructure, to offer AI skilling opportunities to over 100,000 people. 

At the Microsoft Build: AI Day in Bangkok, Satya Nadella, Microsoft Chairman and CEO, made the announcement to developers and leaders across business and technology.

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO at Microsoft feels that Thailand has an opportunity to build a digital-first, AI-powered future.

“Our new datacenter region, along with the investments we are making in cloud and AI infrastructure, as well as AI skilling, build on our long-standing commitment to the country – and will help Thai organisations across the public and private sector drive new impact and growth,” said Satya. 

Read the full article here. 

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