- Microsoft has announced a legally constraining European digital resilience commitment
- 200 data centers will be operated by Microsoft through the EU by 2027
- A new CISO deputy for Europe has also been appointed
Microsoft was released and opposed any order of the United States government to suspend the operations of the European Cloud, considering such a decision as very unlikely but a real and relevant concern.
In a blog post, Microsoft’s president Brad Smith confirmed that the company would continue if it was ordered to stop services in Europe in the midst of geopolitical tensions and commercial disputes.
“We are committed that Microsoft will quickly and vigorously dispute such a measure using all available legal avenues,” said Smith.
Microsoft undertakes to serve Europe in the middle of commercial wars
In the article, Smith has established five key commitments that Microsoft takes towards European customers, promising “digital stability” and “maintaining the digital resilience of Europe”.
Noting “mutual economic growth and prosperity” that the transatlantic links allow Smith to explain that the company was “delighted” “President Trump and the European Union have concluded an agreement to suspend the climbing of additional rates.
Microsoft’s first commitment is that it will continue to expand cloud and AI infrastructure in Europe, increasing the capacity of the 40% data center over the next two years and extending to 16 European countries.
By 2027, the company wishes to direct more than 200 data centers across the continent, while respecting European laws and requests for sovereignty.
Secondly, Microsoft “will maintain digital resilience of Europe” throughout the current volatility by including a new European digital resilience commitment legally in all contracts with European national governments and the European Commission.
This includes storage of backup copies of its code in a secure standard in Switzerland, a country with laws on confidentiality and security of solid data.
The company is also committed to ensuring the confidentiality of European data by allowing the storage and processing of local data within the EU and the European Free Trade Association, as well as to protect the cybersecurity of the continent with a new assistant ciso for Europe.
Finally, Smith commented Microsoft’s plans to support competition in the region – possible a search during the frequent surveys with which it is confronted with the European Commission as well as other antitrust regulators around the world.
Smith concluded: “Our support for Europe has always been – and will always be – firm.”
