Microsoft to Invest $10 Billion in Japan on AI Infrastructure, Cybersecurity
The U.S. tech company is teaming up with Japanese companies including SoftBank
- Microsoft plans to invest $10 billion in Japan over four years to develop AI infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity.
- Microsoft will partner with SoftBank Corp. and Sakura Internet to develop AI services and train one million engineers by 2030.
- The company also plans to invest $5.5 billion in Singapore through 2029 and over $1 billion in Thailand over two years.
Microsoft MSFT 1.11%increase; green up pointing triangle plans to invest $10 billion in Japan over the next four years to develop artificial-intelligence infrastructure with partners and strengthen cybersecurity initiatives.
The U.S. technology giant said Friday that the investment plan is aimed at helping advance Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s goal of improving the nation’s economic security and promoting growth investments in advanced technologies.
Microsoft said it would team up with internet services providers SoftBank Corp. 9434 1.21%increase; green up pointing triangle and Sakura Internet 3778 19.58%increase; green up pointing triangle to consider jointly developing AI services to support the development of domestic large language models and other applications. The companies aim to create platforms that compute and store data in Japan, while allowing clients to access the platforms through Microsoft’s Azure cloud services.
The U.S. company said it would strengthen a tie-up with the country’s cybersecurity office and help the government and businesses detect cyberattacks early or preempt them. Microsoft also said it would help train one million engineers and developers by 2030 in cooperation with Japanese companies.
The announcement came just days after Microsoft disclosed investment plans for Singapore and Thailand.
Earlier this week, Microsoft said it was on track to invest $5.5 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure in Singapore through 2029 as demand for AI computing continues to grow. The U.S. tech giant also said it planned to invest more than $1 billion in Thailand over the next two years.
Microsoft, which competes in the cloud and data-center space with the likes of Alphabet, Amazon and Alibaba in Asia, has been ramping up its cloud services in response to a continued AI computing boom.