Launch of Qatar’s first Data Centre: A big step in its digital transformation

Qatar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology held the inauguration ceremony this evening in partnership with Microsoft

August 31, 2022 - 19:00

Launch of Qatar’s first Data Centre: A big step in its digital transformation

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At the beginning of 2019, Qatar approved plans to set up a global data centre for Microsoft's Azure cloud platform in Qatar. Along with the datacentre, Microsoft has invested in the development of its fourth and largest office facility in the country, and an avant-garde Customer Innovation Center, located in Lusail City.

“Microsoft has been deeply rooted in Qatar and our commitment to help grow Qatar’s innovation economy has never been stronger,” said Lana Khalaf, General Manager at Microsoft Qatar. “Our global data center will create 24,000 new jobs in the economy of Qatar. So we want to skill and re-skill 15,000 people every year to be able to take these future jobs. What Microsoft is doing is skilling and re-skilling for employability. And we will continue this until we train 50,000 people over the next five years. This is our mission here for every person in the country."

The Microsoft Datacenter, in partnership with @MCITQatar, will create new opportunities for our partners @PwC_Middle_East enable organizations to achieve more across the Microsoft Cloud.
Register here: https://t.co/XysabCsA1f #Innovate4Qatar #MicrosoftCloud #MSPartner #MCITQatar pic.twitter.com/lOnSLCHL6M
— Microsoft Qatar (@microsoftqatar) August 31, 2022

These new developments play a big part in bringing Qatar closer to its National Vision 2030 which aims to transform Qatar into a highly modern country that relies on sustainable development, and whose infrastructure is based on new technologies. The new datacentre will help Qatar safeguard its data, achieve its sustainability goals, run advanced mission-critical systems reliably and implement highly innovative infrastructure.

Since 2008, Qatar’s public and private organizations have been steadily advancing its activities in line with the national strategy. Among numerous developments, the TASMU Platform launched in 2021, aims to harness advanced technology and innovation to provide smart solutions and applications across five priority sectors: transportation, healthcare, logistics, environment, and sports.

The new data centre will facilitate the achievement of Qatar's future milestones, in line with its vision of social, economic, environmental and human development.