3 days, 3 big Microsoft AI/cloud investments in Southeast Asia, Malaysia joins the list

Microsoft announced a massive investment of US$2.2 billion in Malaysia. The Southeast Asian country will see the investment being spread over four years. And it’s the biggest amount that the Redmond company has spent in its almost 32 years of operation in the country.

Microsoft’s investment includes: 

• building cloud and AI infrastructure in Malaysia 
• creating AI skilling opportunities for an additional 200,000 people in Malaysia 
• strengthening its partnership with the Government of Malaysia to establish a national AI Centre of Excellence and enhance the nation’s cybersecurity capabilities 
• supporting the growth of Malaysia’s developer community. 

“We are committed to supporting Malaysia’s AI transformation and ensure it benefits all Malaysians. Our investments in digital infrastructure and skilling will help Malaysian businesses, communities, and developers apply the latest technology to drive inclusive economic growth and innovation across the country.” 

 said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. 

And it’s not the first or only monetary investment from Microsoft in South East asia. Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it’s investing $1.7 billion in AI & cloud in Indonesia, meanwhile Thailand to get Azure data center, with pledged to train 100,000 Thai entrepreneurs, specifically those in the tourism sector, on how to utilize AI. 

Later on, Microsoft said that it was investing $1.5 billion in the United Arab Emirates. The Redmond tech giant will spread the investment through G42, the Emirati AI company with a focus on AI research, big data, and machine learning. 

Microsoft also has a strong presence in Europe. The company has announced investments of $2.1 billion in Spain’s AI and cloud infrastructure, and then another €3.2 billion in Germany and £2.5 billion in the UK.