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Microsoft is deepening its presence in the United Arab Emirates with a series of technology and talent-focused initiatives aimed at supporting the country’s push to become a global center for artificial intelligence and digital innovation, WAM reported.
The projects form part of a US$15.2 billion investment plan for 2023–2029 - one of the company’s largest commitments in the Middle East - centered on expanding cloud capacity, developing advanced AI skills among Emiratis and strengthening digital-trust frameworks.
Amr Kamel, Microsoft UAE’s general manager, said the long-term plan underscores the company’s confidence in the country’s economic and technological trajectory. He noted that the program includes a US$1.5 billion investment in G42, more than US$10 billion for new cloud data-center infrastructure and over US$3 billion to scale local operations and partnerships.
Kamel told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that Microsoft is working with G42-owned Khazna Data Centers to add 200 megawatts of capacity by 2026, expanding sovereign Azure cloud services and improving security and resilience for government and private-sector clients.
The investments, he said, are expected to support key economic sectors by enabling startups, encouraging industry adoption of emerging technologies and helping build an integrated digital ecosystem that drives productivity and sustainable growth.
Talent development is a core pillar of the strategy. Under the “Microsoft Elevate UAE” program, the company aims to train more than 250,000 students and academics, alongside 55,000 government employees, in advanced AI skills. The initiative is part of a broader pledge to upskill one million people across the UAE by 2027.
Microsoft is also expanding AI research through the “Microsoft AI for Good Lab” in Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Engineering Development Centre, which focuses on developing local expertise and advancing work on language models for underrepresented languages.
Kamel said the next phase of the company’s UAE expansion will include additional data-centre projects and wider collaboration with government bodies and sectors such as education, energy and financial services, as the country accelerates its transition to a competitive digital economy.
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