Microsoft launches new data centre region in Qatar that will create 36,000 jobs

The company said it will add 'more than $18 billion to the economy over the next five years'

Microsoft expects to add more than $18 billion to Qatar's economy over the next five years. Reuters

Microsoft has opened its first cloud data centre region in Qatar as it adds tens of thousands of jobs to the country's economy.

The US technology company said it is the first hyperscale cloud provider to deliver enterprise-grade services in Qatar, and its data centres are open for business with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 available.

"We are adding more than $18 billion to the economy over the next five years and we are also adding more than 36,000 new jobs over the next five years," said Microsoft Qatar general manager Lana Khalaf, AFP reported. She said at a launch ceremony that it will help Qatar to become a "digital hub for the region and the world".

The new data centre region will help Qatar's digital transformation as it seeks to diversify its economy away from a reliance on oil and gas, and comes as part of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Earlier this year, Microsoft, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), launched the National Skilling Programme, with the goal to train more than 50,000 people in Qatar through providing digital skills acquisition programmes during the next four years.

So far, the programme has benefited more than 14,000 people, Microsoft said.

GCC states are attracting a large number of global cloud technology companies because of the increase in tech-focused young consumers and an evolving digital landscape in the region.

The global cloud computing market was valued at $368.97bn in 2021 and is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of almost 16 per cent from 2022 to 2030, with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning among its primary drivers, according to Grand View Research.

Earlier this week, Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing unit of the world's biggest e-commerce marketplace, launched its second Middle East cloud region in the UAE.

The move is projected to add about $11 billion over the next 15 years to the UAE’s gross domestic product, the company said.