Microsoft to Invest $4.8 billion on AI, Cloud Infrastructure in Italy

By Kimberley Kao

Microsoft plans to spend about $4.75 billion over the next two years in cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Italy, as global tech companies continue to boost their footprints overseas amid a boom in demand for AI computing.

The U.S. tech giant plans to spend 4.3 billion euros, the equivalent of about $4.75 billion to grow its hyperscale cloud and AI datacenter infrastructure, as well as provide digital skills training to over 1 million Italians by the end of 2025, it said in a statement Wednesday.

Microsoft said this investment will be its largest in Italy to date, and will make its cloud region, Italy North, one of Microsoft's largest datacenter regions in Europe. A region refers to a cluster of data centers.

Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni met with Microsoft President Brad Smith in Rome on Wednesday, Italy's government said in a statement, adding that Meloni welcomed the investment that would support the growing AI demand in the country, and strengthen Italy's role "as a digital hub in the Mediterranean."

Write to Kimberley Kao at kimberley.kao@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 03, 2024 01:19 ET (05:19 GMT)

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