Microsoft to Invest $3.2 Billion in Swedish AI: Largest Nordic Infrastructure Bet

Microsoft Corp plans to invest $3.2 billion in synthetic intelligence and cloud centers in Sweden, its largest-ever infrastructure wager withinside the Nordic united states drawing at the vicinity`s wealthy deliver of inexperienced electricity.

The circulate cements the tech-giant`s footprint withinside the kingdom via way of means of including 20,000 of GPUs, or pictures processing units, at its 3 statistics facilities. The employer is likewise committing to schooling 250,000 in “critical AI skills,” in step with a announcement on Monday.

“This large investment reflects our belief in how much Sweden can benefit from AI,” Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith stated in an interview. He praised the kingdom as “one of the continent’s most innovative countries,” whilst including that the kingdom will most effective continue to be a pacesetter if it makes use of AI.

The Nordic vicinity has turn out to be a top goal for massive electricity customers way to the abundance of smooth electricity, with hydropower dominating the electricity mix. Facebook-proprietor Meta Platforms Inc and Google-proprietor Alphabet Inc each have their very own huge centers throughout the Nordics.

Data facilities compete with different industries trying to gain from a number of the most inexpensive strength withinside the world. Several inexperienced mega-initiatives are predicted to greater than double electricity call for withinside the coming decade.

Asked about the risk of an impending power crisis, Microsoft’s Smith said the company is combining its data center investments with larger investments in renewable energy. It has procured about 1 gigawatt of power and has struck a deal with state-owned utility Vattenfall AB.

“I don’t think we could have made an investment such as the one we have done in Sweden without a partner like Vattenfall,” Smith said.