Microsoft will open its first regional data center in Thailand.

The mentioned technology giant made a corresponding statement on Wednesday, May 1. It is worth noting that Microsoft is currently making significant efforts to increase the availability of cloud services.

The news of the opening of a data center in Thailand was made public the day after the company’s CEO Satya Nadella announced a $1.7 billion investment in Indonesia. This funding is intended for the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure and cloud services in the specified country.

Microsoft’s official statement notes that increasing the number of data centers will expand the availability of the company’s hyperscale cloud services. Satya Nadella said at an event in Bangkok that Thailand will not only have access to all the capabilities of Azure but also the best world-class artificial intelligence infrastructure. It should be clarified that Azure is a cloud platform that is part of the Microsoft ownership structure.

In addition, the data center in Thailand will also ensure reliability, performance, and compliance with enterprise-level data residency and privacy standards. The relevant information is contained in the statement of the technology giant.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thaivisin said that the data center meets the country’s goal of becoming the hub of the digital economy. He also noted that Microsoft’s investment is an important turning point in the development of the mentioned economy and increases competitiveness. Srettha Thaivisin posted a corresponding message on a social network. The Prime Minister of Thailand is convinced that the introduction of advanced technologies will contribute to economic development.

Satya Nadella said he expects artificial intelligence to bring $1 trillion in value to the Southeast Asian economy. It is worth noting that currently there is a very widespread opinion in the expert community that AI is a potential factor in economic growth.

Microsoft has also promised to train 2.5 million people in Southeast Asia to use artificial intelligence by 2025. The technology giant is currently making significant efforts to expand its presence in the region. It is worth noting that Satya Nadella has repeatedly spoken about the significant potential of Southeast Asia.

Recently, large technology companies in the context of industrial and business cooperation with Asia have focused on activities in India and China. But against the background of increasing geopolitical tensions, largely related to the deterioration of relations between Washington and Beijing, the focus of attention began to shift. In this case, it is implied that large companies, fearing sanctions from the United States, began to consider plans to diversify their production facilities outside of China. At the same time, foreign businesses are interested in maintaining their presence in Asia. Against this background, some countries in the region, including Indonesia and Thailand, may benefit from the current state of affairs in the plane of geopolitical relations.