Technology giant Microsoft is to invest SEK33.7bn [€2.9bn] into cloud and AI infrastructure in Sweden.
The firm added that it would also look to boost AI skills for 250,000 people in the country – whose population currently stands at around eight million. The aim of the initiative, Microsoft said, was to accelerate Sweden’s adoption of AI, increase the country’s long-term competitiveness through skills development of the current and future workforce and create long-term benefits for the Swedish economy.
“Our investment in Sweden is a testament to our confidence in this nation, its government and its potential as a leading player in the AI era,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president at Microsoft. “This announcement is about more than just technology. It is a commitment to ensure broad access to the tools and expertise needed for Sweden’s population and economy to thrive in the AI era.”
Microsoft also said it would expand its cloud and AI infrastructure and deploy 20,000 of the most advanced GPUs to its existing data centre regions in Sandviken, Gävle and Staffanstorp. The new investment, which is Microsoft’s second in three years, is in line with the Swedish government’s commitment to increased innovation, increased competitiveness and efficiency in the public sector, as well as national resilience and sustainability.
Heavy investment in France and Germany
The announcement follows reports in February that Microsoft was beginning a series of heavy investments into the AI landscapes of France and Germany. As PA Europe reported, the firm was reportedly set to invest €3.2bn in building up its AI infrastructure and cloud capacity in Germany by the end of next year. That investment is expected to cover the training of some 1.2m German workers, along with the building of data centres around the city of Frankfurt and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
These are all notable developments, given a prediction – made last year in a report from the Center for Data Innovation – that AI investment in Europe could fall by 20% following the EC’s proposed Artificial Intelligence Act.
