Microsoft to Invest $10 Billion in Gulf Cloud, AI Infrastructure Through 2030

Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will invest more than $10 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure across Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates through 2030, covering capital and operating expenses. Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters the company is "sustaining" and "adding to" pre-conflict investment plans. Microsoft will spend over $400 million on subsea and terrestrial connectivity in the Middle East by 2030, building on its role in the SeaMeWe-6 cable system. The company named digital resilience a core pillar, offering assessments, continuity planning and data-protection programs in the four countries. It cited partnerships with Saudi Arabia's HUMAIN, Abu Dhabi's G42 — in which it invested $1.5 billion in 2024 — and Qatar's QAI, with no capital commitments attached to the HUMAIN and QAI arrangements. Microsoft will prioritize zero-water cooling at new regional data centers and expand carbon-free electricity access, and will extend training programs to more than 4.2 million people by 2030.