A few days after investing $3B for AI in Germany, Microsoft has announced another significant investment in Europe by committing $2.1 billion to expand its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure in Spain.
Following a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the organization’s vice chair and president, Brad Smith, announced on the social media platform X that the organization intends to recoup its investment in Spain within the following two years.
Smith asserted that the commitment extends beyond the construction of data centers and includes “security, development, and the digital transformation of its government, businesses, and people.”
The president of Microsoft asserts that the organization has maintained a 37-year investment stance in Spain. The company declared in September 2021 the establishment of a new R&D center for AI technologies in Barcelona, Spain.
President of Microsoft Spain at the time, Alberto Granados, described the company’s investment as “evidence” of Spain’s prowess in the digital industry.
This investment follows Microsoft’s February 15 investment of an additional 3 billion euros into developing the AI ecosystem in Germany.
Like its plans in Spain, Microsoft has pledged to invest the funds over the next two years to improve the AI infrastructure in Germany, construct new data centers, and train individuals in developing AI skills.
Big Tech companies are pouring AI development-related investments into Europe in anticipation of the European Union’s impending implementation of the landmark EU AI Act. This is part of a more significant trend.
The Ministry of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France and Google jointly declared their intentions to establish a novel AI-centric center in Paris on the same day Microsoft disclosed its investment in Germany. This facility will accommodate around 300 researchers and engineers and support France’s AI endeavors.
Two days prior, Google declared its “AI Opportunity Initiative for Europe,” an investment of 25 million euros ($26.9 million) to provide Europeans with AI-sector skills training.
