Microsoft is set to significantly increase its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure in Spain, with plans to spend €1.95 billion ($2.1 billion) over the next two years. This move is part of CEO Satya Nadella’s commitment to drive digital innovation and the responsible use of AI.
Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, recently met with Pedro Sánchez, President of the Spanish government, to unveil the company’s largest investment in Spain in its almost four decades of presence in the country.
Smith is currently on a tour of European nations to highlight Microsoft’s investments in the continent. Last week, he announced a plan to invest €3.2 billion in Germany on AI and <a href="https://news.ad-astra.icu/sustainability-in-data-centers-becoming-increasingly-common-not-rare.html" title="Sustainability in data centers becoming increasingly common, not rare”>data center infrastructure over two years.
Microsoft is also planning to open a cloud region of data centers near Madrid and build a data center campus in Aragon to serve European companies and public entities. These infrastructures will ensure the security, privacy, and data sovereignty of Microsoft’s cloud services, as well as make the company’s entire range of AI solutions available to companies and public administrations.
According to an IDC analysis, Microsoft’s data centers in Spain could contribute up to €8.4 billion to the country’s GDP and create 69,000 indirect jobs over the period 2026-2030.
The investment commitment is part of a collaboration framework announced by Sánchez and Smith. Both parties will work together on the application of responsible AI to enhance citizen services, promote AI-based innovation, and reinforce national cybersecurity and the cyber-resilience of Spanish companies, public bodies, and critical infrastructure.
This strategic alliance aligns with Spain’s national AI strategy and national cybersecurity strategy, focusing on extending the use of AI in the administration, promoting responsible AI, strengthening national cybersecurity, and improving the cyber-resilience of companies.
They will also share best practices to modernize administrative processes and provide civil servants with AI tools to increase their efficiency and effectiveness. Microsoft will share its responsible AI design standards, implementation guides, and documentation on best practices with the Spanish Agency for the Supervision of Artificial Intelligence (AESIA).
Additionally, Microsoft and the National Cryptologic Center of the National Intelligence Center (CNI-CCN) will jointly explore the improvement of early warning and response mechanisms to computer security incidents in public…
2024-03-01 17:00:03
Post from www.computerworld.com