Microsoft announces plans for new data centers in Europe and the Middle East

Microsoft announced this week that it plans to expand its Azure footprint with new data center in Europe and the Middle East. All told, Microsoft says it will be launching its first data centers in Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) while also expanding its cloud offering in Germany.

In Switzerland, data centers will be opened in Geneva and Zurich, and are a response to Microsoft's "engagement with financial institutions and regulators in Switzerland." The new data centers in UAE, which are set to open in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, will be Microsoft's first in the Middle East.

In terms of its expansion in Germany, Microsoft says that it will begin offering Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 from new data center locations. These will be in addition to existing options, which include services delivered from outside Germany. "The new cloud services enable customers to digitally transform their businesses empowered by Microsoft's global network and the latest innovative services while meeting their compliance requirements to store customer data in Germany," said Sabine Bendiek, Area Vice President, Microsoft Germany.

Microsoft didn't provide monetary figures, but previous reports indicated that the company is investing more than €100 million (about $123 million) in two new German data centers.

In Europe, Microsoft also has plans for France, where new data centers in Paris and Marseille are providing Azure and Office 365 to customers. The company says that Dynamics 365 will follow in 2019. "We are convinced that this opening is the beginning of a new adventure – one in which we want as many French organizations and companies as possible to embark on, in order to accelerate the digital transformation of our ecosystem," states Carlo Purassanta, General Manager, Microsoft France.

These moves come as Microsoft has been gradually expanding its cloud infrastructure around the world. New data centers in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa were announced last year and, more recently, Microsoft said that it was planning to increase its Azure capacity in China. At the same time, the U.S. Supreme Court is mulling a pivotal case that will decide whether U.S. authorities can compel U.S.-based companies to turn over private information stored in data centers overseas.

CATEGORIES
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl

Latest in Microsoft
Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates, former CEOs of Microsoft.
Bill Gates says Satya Nadella almost missed the cut for CEO of Microsoft — Even with Steve Ballmer's support
HP Reverb G2 VR headset
Was Windows Mixed Reality as bad as I remember? I look back at the failed VR platform that was ahead of its time.
Microsoft Majorana 1 chip designed for quantum computing
Microsoft dismisses quantum computing skepticism: "There is a century-old scientific process established by the American Physical Society for resolving disputes"
The Microsoft logo on a smartphone and laptop arranged in Crockett, California, US, on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.
"Would you say there is a reasonable balance between what you contribute to Microsoft and what you get in return?" Two-thirds of Microsoft employees say YES — as AI engineers get preferential compensation packages.
Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii screenshot
Microsoft blocks (some) Windows 11 pirates while Lenovo steals the show at Mobile World Congress
Satya Nadella with Sam Altman at a conference
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff's prediction about Microsoft and OpenAI's partnership may have just manifested — and it's not a pretty look for the ChatGPT maker
Latest in News
Surface Pro 11
Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro appears in certification database ahead of rumored launch this spring
Artificial intelligence mobile apps for DeepSeek, ChatGPT and Google Gemini arranged.
Google says its latest reasoning model is its "most intelligent" — but Microsoft's CEO claims Google already fumbled its AI opportunity
ChatGPT and Microsoft Logo
ChatGPT’s new image-generation tool is impressive; it can finally create a glass of wine filled to the brim — but it struggles with blank white images and appears to discriminate against 'sexy women'
Microsoft Edge Sidebar
My favorite Microsoft Edge feature just got an AI upgrade — is this the best way to use Copilot on Windows 11?
Professor Sir Roger Penrose, physicist, mathematician and cosmologist
Nobel laureate claims "AI will not be conscious" and shouldn't be considered intelligent — Until it develops its own ideas
UGreen x Genshin Impact charging accessories: image shows magnetic wireless charger, power bank, GaN charger and USB-C cable
UGreen drops a stunning Genshin Impact collection of charging accessories AND it's all on sale