- Microsoft will open a cloud region in the coming months with data centers located north and east of the Madrid community.
- Both institutions are working on the development of various collaborative projects in the areas of digital training, employment, support for tech entrepreneurship and improving environmental sustainability.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community of Madrid, met with Cindy Rose, Microsoft Corporation’s Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Vice President of Global Enterprise Sales, to learn about the company’s investment plans in the Community of Madrid. The meeting was also attended by Javier Fernández-Lasqueti y Blanc, Minister of Economy, Finance and Employment, and Natalia Escobedo, Microsoft Spain’s Public Sector Director.
Microsoft plans to open a cloud region in the coming months with data centers located north and east of the Madrid community. In addition, the company is working on the expansion of this cloud region, with a new phase in which three additional data centers will be built in the cities of Algate, Meco and San Sebastián de los Reyes.
Microsoft, the affiliates that make up its ecosystem of technology partners, and Microsoft customers who use its cloud services could add 5.3 billion euros to regional GDP between 2022 and 2025, according to preliminary data from a report by IDC consultancy will generate more than . and will contribute to the creation of more than 13,200 new jobs in the sector, including direct and indirect positions, over the same period.
The Community of Madrid and Microsoft are actively collaborating in this investment project through the Office for the Promotion of Data Processing Centers (OICPD), a new resource created by the Department of Local Administration and Digitization, which aims to provide coverage And to give advice to companies and multinational companies. To promote their expansion and installation in the data center sector area.
During the meeting, held at Microsoft’s offices in central London, the President of the Community of Madrid reviewed the deployment status of the cloud sector and the timetable of planned investments for its expansion. Microsoft has invested $12,000 million in Europe over the past two years, including investments related to the opening of its new cloud region of data centers located in the community of Madrid, from where it will offer cloud services to its customers. in spain.
Social Impact Projects in the Community of Madrid
Within the framework of investing in the community of Madrid connected to the new cloud region, Microsoft executives shared other initiatives, including a training program for unemployed residents in the northern part of the region. This training on Microsoft Azure, of more than 120 classroom hours, allows you to get adequate training in technologies that are in high demand in the labor market, such as cloud computing or artificial intelligence.
The Community of Madrid, through the Directorate General of Training of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Employment, and Microsoft are also working on the design of training activities that improve digital training within the framework of the Digital Talent Plan, and certification Citizens of Madrid, as well as their employability. According to Microsoft data, 66% of people who receive certification in cloud technologies from Microsoft are placed in a job in less than three months. In this sense, Microsoft promotes the recruitment of digital profiles through its network of more than 2,400 partners in the community of Madrid. These are technology companies that develop solutions and provide services related to the company’s technology.
In the area of environmental sustainability, Microsoft collaborates with the Repsol Foundation in a reforestation project in Torremocha de Jarama, north of the Community of Madrid. This initiative has facilitated the creation of a new forest with 11,340 trees over an area of more than 18 hectares. In addition, the company is working on the reforestation of an area in the municipality of San Sebastián de los Reyes, where one of the data centers that will constitute the second expansion phase of its cloud region will be located.
During the meeting, the President of the Community of Madrid and the Microsoft Board of Directors also evaluated the reinforcement of cooperation between the two entities to support technological entrepreneurship in the region.
Microsoft is evaluating other community development initiatives that will be launched in the municipalities of the Community of Madrid where its data centers are located, including digital literacy activities, circular economy projects, and environmental initiatives.