Microsoft is investing billions in Australia in major cloud and computing push

Date:
Tue, 24 Oct 2023 09:30:29 +0000

Description:
Billions of dollars will fund Australian data centers, demand for cloud computing, and worker education.

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Microsoft has announced AU$5 billion in funding that it plans to invest in Australian computing capacity and capability as the country adopts more AI.

The single largest investment Microsoft will have made in Australia since it entered the country 40 years ago, the money will fund hyperscale cloud computing and AI infrastructure.

Redmond also plans to add nine more local data centers in the country and improve the countrys protection against cybersecurity threats. Microsoft commits billions in funding for Australia

The investment, worth around $3.2 billion, will increase Australias computing capacity by around 250% over the next two years. Microsoft reckons that the countrys demand for cloud computing services will almost double between 2022 and 2026, by which point the market is estimated to be worth AU$22.4 billion.

The company has also committed to some significant sustainability goals by
the end of the decade, promising that new data centers in the country are carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste.

Data centers are in demand globally, but their environmental impacts have
been criticzed. Such sites use extremely high-performance computing
components that are power hungry, while also producing large amounts of waste heat.

Beyond investments in infrastructure, Microsoft has also shared that it will support a further 300,000 Australians upskill in order to succeed in the digital economy.

Kate Pounder, CEO of the Tech Council of Australia, said: The Tech Council of Australia (TCA) welcomes this substantial investment in Australias digital infrastructure, this investment is critical to creating jobs and opportunity in Australia. The TCA has a shared goal with the Australian Government of having 1.2 million people in tech jobs in Australia by 2030.

Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, added: A priority for my Government is to ensure all Australians benefit from economic growth. This means that we need to provide the skills to enable Australians to succeed in the jobs of the future. More from TechRadar Pro AWS is making a huge investment into India Weve rounded up the best cloud hosting providers for your business Here are all the best online collaboration tools to support a geo-diverse workforce



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/microsoft-is-investing-billions-in-australia-in- major-cloud-and-computing-push


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