Microsoft has completed construction works on its data center region in Saudi Arabia.
Shared by the cloud giant earlier this month, the company has completed the development of all three availability zones, due to go live in 2026.
The cloud region is located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and each availability zone will feature independent power, cooling, and networking infrastructure. The facilities will be equipped with "state-of-the-art" hardware.
Deputy minister for technology at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Mohammed Al Robayan, said: “Saudi Arabia is well positioned to become a thriving global hub of technological breakthroughs, empowering organizations across industries to innovate new cutting-edge solutions that enhance the quality of life for all.
"We are proud to see the progress on Microsoft’s cloud region, which marks a significant milestone in our journey to achieve our national goals. This infrastructure will enable businesses to unlock new possibilities, harness the power of AI, and drive sustainable growth for the kingdom and the whole region.”
Turki Badhris, president of Microsoft Arabia, added: “Public and private sector organizations in Saudi Arabia have demonstrated a remarkable appetite to leverage the latest cutting-edge technologies such as AI to thrive in the new digital age and are already relying on Microsoft’s trusted cloud to accelerate their business growth and AI innovation.
"Now, together with the MCIT, we are excited to share these latest updates on our Saudi Arabia datacenter region, which demonstrate the significant progress we’re making and our commitment to strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a global innovation hub, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.”
In advance of launching the cloud region, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education has already selected Microsoft Azure to host its Madrasati platform which handles remote learning, exams, and additional educational courses. The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority’s (SDAIA) Arabic Large Language Model, ‘ALLaM’, has also been built and trained on Microsoft Azure infrastructure.
Plans for the Saudi cloud region were first shared in February 2023. The announcement was met with backlash, with human rights groups calling on Microsoft to suspend its plans, citing concerns about Saudi authorities gaining access to data stored in the facility and violating privacy rights. Saudi Arabia has a history of infiltrating technology platforms to spy on human rights platforms, as well as using cyber surveillance software. It has also been criticized for its lack of stringent data protection laws.
The other major cloud providers are also either present or developing cloud regions in Saudi Arabia, including Google, AWS, and Oracle.
