Microsoft has introduced plans to broaden its knowledge centre capability in Europe by 40 % over the following two years, finally greater than doubling its capability between 2023 and 2027. This growth spans 16 European nations and can convey Microsoft’s European datacenter footprint to over 200 amenities.
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Microsoft’s Commitments to Europe
Firm Vice Chair and President Brad Smith shared the information in a weblog put up on April 30, 2025, which aimed to reassure European clients in a time of geopolitical volatility that the corporate is dedicated to offering digital stability.
“Right now, Microsoft is saying 5 digital commitments to Europe. These begin with an growth of our cloud and AI infrastructure in Europe, geared toward enabling each nation to completely use these applied sciences to strengthen their financial competitiveness. And so they embody a promise to uphold Europe’s digital resilience no matter geopolitical and commerce volatility,” Brad Smith mentioned in a weblog put up, including that the 5 commitments, “just like the very first European model of Microsoft Phrase, take our assist for Europe one other step ahead.”
Microsoft’s new European digital commitments are as under:
1. Assist Construct a Broad AI and Cloud Ecosystem Throughout Europe
Microsoft introduced plans to extend its European datacenter capability by 40 % over the following two years.
“We consider that broad AI diffusion shall be probably the most essential drivers of innovation and productiveness development over the following decade. Like electrical energy and different general-purpose applied sciences previously, AI and cloud datacenters signify the following stage of industrialisation. They’re creating real-world capabilities to gasoline enterprise and manufacturing innovation, run nationwide well being programs, allow safe authorities companies, and assist digital instruments in schooling—all whereas holding knowledge and operations near dwelling, topic to European legal guidelines and laws,” Smith defined.
Sovereign cloud datacenters
The transfer is designed to energy a broad AI and cloud ecosystem, supporting sectors from healthcare and manufacturing to authorities companies and schooling. The initiative additionally consists of investments in sovereign cloud options, such because the Bleu three way partnership in France and the Delos undertaking in Germany, in addition to collaborations with European cloud suppliers to supply Microsoft functions and companies on their native cloud infrastructure.
“In France, Microsoft has partnered with Capgemini and Orange, who shaped a three way partnership named Bleu. Designed as a “cloud de confiance” (trusted cloud) platform, Bleu affords a broad vary of Microsoft Azure cloud companies and Microsoft 365 productiveness instruments operated beneath French management. In Germany, the same sovereign cloud initiative is underway via a partnership between Microsoft, SAP, and Arvato Techniques (a Bertelsmann IT subsidiary). This effort, via SAP’s subsidiary, Delos Cloud GmbH, is making a sovereign cloud platform for the German public sector, hosted in German datacenters and operated by German personnel,” he mentioned, including that Microsoft is dedicated to collaborating with European members throughout the tech ecosystem.
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2. Uphold Europe’s Digital Resilience Even When There Is Geopolitical Volatility
In a step to deal with geopolitical dangers, Microsoft dedicated to uphold Europe’s digital resilience. “By constructing a European cloud for Europe, Microsoft is dedicated to serving to Europe navigate the unsure geopolitical and commerce setting and higher handle danger by strengthening the continent’s digital resilience,” Smith mentioned.
The corporate introduced the formation of a European board to supervise native datacenter operations, a legally binding Digital Resilience Dedication included in authorities contracts, and contingency partnerships to make sure operational continuity. It additionally pledged to legally problem any international order which will threaten the integrity of its European companies.
“To additional cement the nexus between Microsoft and Europe, going ahead our European datacenter operations and their boards shall be overseen by a European board of administrators that consists solely of European nationals and operates beneath European regulation,” Smith mentioned.
3. Proceed to Shield the Privateness of European Information
“Microsoft has lengthy been on the forefront in designing and implementing know-how options to guard buyer knowledge. We allow clients to manage the place their knowledge is saved and processed, how it’s encrypted and secured, and when Microsoft can entry it,” Smith highlighted.
To reinforce knowledge privateness, Microsoft highlighted the completion of its EU Information Boundary undertaking, making certain that European clients can retailer and course of their knowledge completely inside EU and EFTA jurisdictions. Extra safety features embody customer-controlled encryption, confidential computing, and “lockbox” knowledge entry protocols. The corporate reiterated its long-standing authorized efforts to defend buyer knowledge in opposition to illegal entry, together with previous litigation that led to reforms in US knowledge entry legal guidelines.
“Right now we decide to additional strengthen and broaden options that permit European clients to manage and shield their knowledge. We’re embarking on new steps to take heed to and seek the advice of with European clients to construct on what already is probably the most full, widest vary of privateness, safety, and sovereignty options that any cloud companies supplier now affords to clients in Europe,” Smith mentioned.
4. At all times Assist Shield and Defend Europe’s Cybersecurity
On cybersecurity, Microsoft emphasised its continued assist to NATO and Ukraine, citing over USD 500 million in know-how and help since 2022. The corporate introduced the appointment of a Deputy Chief Data Safety Officer (CISO) for Europe to strengthen regulatory compliance with the EU’s rising cybersecurity frameworks, together with the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), the NIS 2 Directive, and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). Microsoft dedicated to accelerating its compliance with the CRA and pledged impartial auditing of its safety measures.
“The appointment of a Deputy CISO for Europe displays the significance and international affect of EU cybersecurity laws and the corporate’s dedication to assembly and exceeding these expectations to prioritise cybersecurity throughout the area,” Smith highlighted.
Microsoft believes that the CRA will reshape the regulatory panorama as a brand new gold commonplace for cybersecurity, a lot because the GDPR did for privateness.
5. Assist Strengthen Europe’s Financial Competitiveness, Together with for Open Supply
In a push to foster financial competitiveness and open-source innovation, Microsoft reaffirmed its AI Entry Rules. With over 1,800 AI fashions hosted on its platform—many are open-source, comparable to these from European-based AI builders Mistral and Hugging Face—Microsoft goals to assist various European enterprises, from startups to multinational firms. Examples embody partnerships with Factorial in Spain, iGenius in Italy, Visma in Norway, the Institut Curie in France, UBS in Switzerland, and Heineken in The Netherlands.
Smith concluded its announcement by reaffirming Microsoft’s dedication to European legal guidelines, values, and regulatory frameworks. “We might want to pay attention carefully to European leaders, respect European values, and cling to European legal guidelines. We’re dedicated to doing all this stuff properly,” Smith mentioned, including, “As we celebrated Microsoft’s fiftieth birthday earlier this month, we recognised that our longstanding presence in Europe has been a lynchpin of our success. Europe has handled us properly. Our assist for Europe has at all times been—and at all times shall be—steadfast.”
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EU’s Response
“Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith has instructed the European Fee his firm will abide by European guidelines no matter whether or not it agrees with them or not,” the European Fee’s Vice President Teresa Ribera mentioned on Monday, Reuters reported.
Ribera reportedly praised Microsoft’s strategy, saying, “I feel it is way more beneficial to acknowledge that it is about complying with the principles if we wish to function on this market and we’ll respect them, moderately than simply saying ‘you are concentrating on me as a result of I am American’.”
