Microsoft is planning to invest 3.2 billion euros in Germany by 2026 in order to drive forward the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the country. According to Microsoft, this investment is the largest in the company's 40-year history in Germany. The aim is to expand the infrastructure for cloud and AI applications and to train over 1.2 million people in digital skills by the end of 2025.
Investment in the expansion of the cloud and AI infrastructure
Over the next two years, Microsoft plans to invest 3.2 billion euros in the expansion of its cloud and AI infrastructure across Germany. The expansion of its cloud region in Frankfurt am Main and the newly planned infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) will more than double capacity.
According to the tech group, this increase in digital capacity will help Germany to fulfil the growing demand for AI-specific computing power and cloud solutions. It will also serve to train and apply new AI models and services offered by Microsoft and a large number of other companies on the Microsoft Azure platform.
"Microsoft is promoting the necessary structural change"
"We want to enable the German economy to benefit from AI in order to continue to expand its global leadership in competitiveness," says Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft. "We see a growing demand for AI applications in key industries such as manufacturing, automotive, financial services, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and medical technology. As economic change fundamentally transforms these industries, it is important to equip companies in Germany with world-leading technology."
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz says: "Microsoft's billion-euro investment in Germany announced today is very good news for Germany as a business location. Microsoft is thus promoting the necessary structural change in the Rhenish mining area, advancing the computing infrastructure in our country and strengthening the German ecosystem around artificial intelligence. Such projects show how attractive the location and the trust of investors in Germany is."
AI services from Microsoft become more widely available
Microsoft's IT infrastructure and AI platform services will enable companies, from small start-ups to large corporations, to develop, deploy and use AI models and applications as proprietary solutions or open source. It will also make Microsoft's own AI-supported services such as Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Dynamics more widely and locally available to German customers.
Microsoft wants to operate its AI services and infrastructure in accordance with procedures for responsible AI and sustainability. To this end, the company has introduced a standard for responsible AI for its own AI platforms and services and set up an AI Assurance Programme to share the most successful approaches and promote responsible AI practices.
Further information can be found at www.microsoft.de.
