Microsoft has confirmed that its Saudi Arabia East cloud region will officially launch in Q4 of 2026.

In a blog post shared by the company, Microsoft noted that customers will be able to run cloud workloads in the region by the end of the year, nearly two years after construction was completed.

Located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, the region has three availability zones.

Commenting on the coming launch, H.E. Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said: “This milestone reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued progress in building advanced, trusted AI infrastructure that supports our ambition to become an AI-enabled nation. We thank Microsoft for its strategic investment in the foundations of the AI economy in Saudi Arabia, enabling the Kingdom to serve as a platform for global progress.”

Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft, added: “Around the world, governments and institutions are seeking cloud infrastructure that combines innovation with trust, resilience, and respect for national requirements. Our long-term investment in Saudi Arabia reflects a shared commitment to building secure, sovereign-ready digital foundations that enable countries to adopt cloud and AI with confidence. As organizations prepare to run workloads in the Kingdom, our focus remains on supporting responsible technology deployment that strengthens economic growth, public services, and digital stability over the long term.”

Microsoft first revealed plans for a Saudi cloud region 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.

Construction of the data centers was completed as of December 2024, with the company at the time slating a 2026 launch date.

Microsoft went on to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with PIF and the Saudi Information Technology Company (SITE) in November 2025 to explore delivering Microsoft sovereign-cloud services in the country. The agreement will see the three companies assessing how its sovereign-cloud model can further support Saudi Arabia’s security, compliance, and data residency priorities, while providing access to advanced cloud and AI technologies.

The launch of the Saudi region will bring Microsoft's footprint to 70 regions globally across 33 countries. Local organizations set to use the cloud region include Acwa and Qiddiya Investment Company.

The other major cloud providers are also either present or developing cloud regions in Saudi Arabia, including Google, AWS, and Oracle.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Microsoft has committed to investing $7.9bn in AI and cloud infrastructure in the UAE, has invested in the UAE's G42, and is developing a $544 million data center in Dubai with Du.

The company also has existing cloud regions in the UAE, Qatar, and Israel. In March 2025, Microsoft announced plans for a cloud region in Kuwait.