Microsoft has announced plans to invest an additional 5.4 billion rands ($296.81 million) in South Africa by 2027, focusing on expanding its cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure to cater to the region’s growing demand for Azure services.
The investment underscores Microsoft’s commitment to strengthening its presence in Africa, particularly as the continent becomes increasingly pivotal in the global AI landscape.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, unveiled the investment at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday. He revealed that part of the funds would be allocated to providing technical certification exams for 50,000 individuals in high-demand digital skills such as cloud architecture, AI, and cybersecurity. This initiative is designed to enhance local expertise and support the growing need for skilled professionals in the rapidly evolving technology sector.
Microsoft’s commitment to South Africa’s tech infrastructure is already evident, with the company having invested 20.4 billion rand to establish the country’s first enterprise-grade data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town. These centres have become central to supporting the computational demands of AI, as more businesses incorporate AI into their operations. On a global scale, Microsoft plans to allocate around $80 billion in fiscal 2025 towards the development of data centres that will further the deployment of AI and cloud-based services.