Microsoft has announced that it plans to create a new data centre in Denmark that will totally rely on renewable energy and create around 200,000 news jobs by 2024 as part of #DigitalLeapDenmark. It’s the firm’s biggest investment in the country in the 30 years it has operated there.
Commenting on the news, Microsoft’s President Brad Smith said:
“This is a proud day for Microsoft in Denmark. Building a hyper-scale datacenter in Denmark means we’ll store Danish data in Denmark, make computing more accessible at even faster speeds, secure data with our world-class security, protect data with Danish privacy laws, and do more to provide to the people of Denmark our best digital skills training. This investment reflects our deep appreciation of Denmark’s green and digital leadership globally and our commitment to its future.”
With regards to the 200,000 new jobs, Microsoft said that it’s looking to bring digital upskilling to people of all ages and skill levels. To do this, it will provide in-depth training programs and Azure certification for partners and customers, digital education opportunities for children and youth, free access to learning paths, job-seeking tools, and low-cost certifications for job seekers and the unemployed.
Microsoft said that many Danish organisations operate using Microsoft Cloud to power their business applications. When Microsoft finally brings its new data centre online it will help clean up the carbon footprint of these organisations. The new data centre will also be good for Microsoft’s partner ecosystem which builds innovative solutions on Microsoft Cloud; in Denmark, Microsoft has more than 2,000 partners including Accenture, Netcompany and Venzo.