Microsoft said on Monday it will invest 33.7 billion kroner ($3.2 billion) in cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence in Sweden over two years, the largest investment in the country.
The group will train 250,000 people by 2027 to expand knowledge and competences in artificial intelligence, as well as escalate the efficiency of its three data centers in the country, it said.
Microsoft’s “largest investment in our history in Sweden” would enable the Scandinavian country “to build the world’s leading AI-powered data center infrastructure,” company president and vice president Brad Smith told reporters at a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
“We are able to do this largely thanks to Sweden’s forward-looking energy policy and broad access to green energy, whether it is zero-emission energy or renewable energy,” Smith said.
In recent months, the US group has announced similar AI investments in other countries, including France, where it pledged to invest four billion euros, and Japan, where it announced $2.9 billion in AI support.
In Sweden, Microsoft will supply more than 20,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) needed to train artificial intelligence models and will escalate the capacity of its data centers in Sandviken, Gavle and Staffanstorp.
“Artificial intelligence is a catalyst for many things,” Kristersson said.
“It will also assist accelerate development in other areas. This huge investment in Sweden could pave the way for other investments,” he said.
