Microsoft is investing $2.1b in expanding its cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Spain following a meeting with the Prime Minister.
Microsoft has pledged to invest $2.1 billion in expanding its cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Spain marking yet another significant investment in the European market.
Vice chairman and president Brad Smith announced on social media that the corporation will repay its investment in Spain over the next two years following a meeting with Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister of Spain.
According to Smith, the country’s security, development and digital transformation of its government, businesses and people are just as important as simply constructing data centers.
The head of Microsoft claims that the company has been making investments in Spain for 37 years. The company revealed in September 2021 that it would establish a new AI R&D center in Barcelona, Spain.
Microsoft Spain President Alberto Granados claimed at the time that Microsoft’s investment was “proof” of Spain’s prowess in the digital space.
This commitment follows another one Microsoft made in Europe on February 15th, when it committed $3 billion to the advancement of Germany’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Microsoft has promised to use the money to improve Germany’s AI infrastructure, construct new data centers and provide AI skills training to citizens, much like its promises in Spain.
Big tech corporations are flooding Europe with AI development investments as the European Union prepares to implement its historic EU AI Act legislation.
This is part of a bigger trend that is at work.The French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry and the Digital Sovereignty of France together with Google announced plans to open a new AI-focused hub in Paris on the same day that Microsoft announced its investment in Germany.
The hub will house approximately 300 researchers and engineers to support France’s AI ambitions. Google said two days earlier that it will be investing 25 million euros ($26.9 million) on skill training for Europeans in the AI sector as part of its “AI Opportunity Initiative for Europe.”