Microsoft announces first Azure datacenter region in Greece for EMEA expansion.
Microsoft announced today in Athens that it plans to invest up to $1 billion to build three data centers for its first cloud region in Greece and provide digital technology training to up to 100,000 people by 2025. The initiative, part of Microsoft's "GR for Growth" digital transformation program, represents the company's largest investment in Greece in the 28 years it has operated there. Microsoft president Brad Smith made the announcement at a ceremony in Athens' Acropolis Museum, alongside Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Theodosis Michalopoulos, general manager of Microsoft for Greece, Cyprus and Malta. "By a substantial margin, this is the largest investment Microsoft has made in Greece in the 28 years we have been operating here," Smith said. "In part, this reflects confidence that our world-leading datacenter technology can help enable innovation and growth across Greece's economy. In addition, this large investment reflects our optimism about Greece's future, its forward-leaning government and the country's ongoing economic recovery."
The announcement follows nine months of negotiations with Greece and comes as the country works to recover from a decade-long government debt crisis marked by austerity measures and international bailouts, followed by economic hardship from the coronavirus pandemic. Unemployment reached 18.3 percent in June, and Prime Minister Mitsotakis is actively working to develop Greece's technology, energy and defense sectors. Smith underscored the exceptional nature of the commitment, stating: "This significant investment is a reflection of our confidence in the Greek economy, in the Greek people and the Greek government. It's not something we do often, and it's not something that we do lightly."
The new data center region will expand Microsoft's global cloud presence to 63 announced regions covering 140-plus countries, providing local access to Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. Six major Greek organizations—Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece, OTE Group, Piraeus Bank and Public Power Corp., Greece's largest electric power company—have expressed intent to use Microsoft cloud services when the region opens. Additionally, Microsoft has 3,000 partners and customers in Greece, including startups, enterprises and non-governmental organizations.
The training program comprises three components targeting different audiences across Greece's economy. Online and physical courses and workshops will include upskilling of Microsoft's customer and partner ecosystems; training for Greek civil servants covering public sector modernization and digitization needs; and expansion of Microsoft's programs with the nonprofit ReGeneration innovation program, which focuses on youth, the unemployed and underserved communities, leveraging LinkedIn Learning, MS Learn and GitHub training programs. ReGeneration is part of the Global Shapers Athens Hub, a World Economic Forum initiative.
As part of its AI for Cultural Heritage program, Microsoft is also collaborating with Greece's Ministry of Culture and Sports to use artificial intelligence and other technologies to recreate the ancient city of Olympia—the birthplace of the Olympic games—as it was almost 3,000 years ago. The collaboration will produce a 3D presentation of monuments and artifacts, set to become available in 2021.