Microsoft to invest $3.2 Billion in Swedish cloud and AI infrastructure

Microsoft announced a major investment of 33.7 billion Swedish crowns ($3.2 billion) to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure in Sweden over the next two years.

This comes after series of similar investement announcements in South East Asia. 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. Microsoft said that it was investing $1.5 billion in the United Arab Emirates.

The investment will see Microsoft increase capacity at its existing data centers in Sandviken, Gavle, and Staffanstorp. This includes deploying 20,000 of the latest graphics processing units (GPUs) to accelerate complex AI calculations.

Microsoft plans to utilize NVIDIA’s processors initially, and incorporate chips from AMD and even its own designs in the future.

The company also wants to train 250,000 Swedes in AI skills within three years, targeting mostly from organizations, schools, universities, and the public sector.

Microsoft has already procured nearly 1,000 MW of renewable energy in Sweden to power its data centers. This comes after it was found out that Microsoft is running away from their carbon emission goals, thanks to AI.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson sees AI as a key driver of future economic growth. He views this transformation as a “multiplier” that will propel the country forward after overcoming inflation.

“AI is a tech transformation that should be seen as a multiplier or catalyst … It is part of the strategy going forward when, after successfully fighting inflation, we enter a new phase, an investment phase.”

After announcing France last month, Microsoft already had 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.

More here.