Microsoft pledges to protect European operations and unveils data center expansion

Microsoft has pledged to combat immoderate U.S. authorities bid to halt information halfway operations successful Europe, arsenic it sought to soothe concerns among European customers that trans-Atlantic tensions would pb to work disruptions

LONDON -- Microsoft pledged Wednesday to combat immoderate U.S. authorities bid to halt information halfway operations successful Europe arsenic it sought to soothe concerns among European customers that trans-Atlantic tensions would pb to work disruptions.

The company's president, Brad Smith, said it's not thing that officials are talking astir successful Washington, D.C. but it is simply a “real concern” for Microsoft's customers crossed Europe, which see governments.

President Donald Trump has stoked tensions betwixt the U.S. and Europe with his tariff-fueled commercialized war, and alarmed European leaders with argumentation changes, including pausing quality sharing with Ukraine, that propulsion into uncertainty his administration's committedness to the trans-Atlantic relationship.

Smith, speaking astatine an lawsuit successful Brussels, tried to allay concerns arsenic helium announced that the institution was expanding information halfway operations crossed Europe.

“What we privation Europeans to cognize is that they tin number connected us,” helium said successful a speech.

“In the improbable lawsuit we are ever ordered by immoderate authorities anyplace successful the satellite to suspend oregon cease unreality operations successful Europe, we are committing that Microsoft volition promptly and vigorously contention specified a measurement utilizing each ineligible avenues available, including by pursuing litigation successful court,” Smith wrote successful a Wednesday blog post.

He noted that Microsoft has acquisition warring lawsuits from the erstwhile Trump medication arsenic good arsenic from erstwhile President Barack Obama’s administration.

“If we ever find ourselves losing we volition enactment successful spot concern continuity arrangements” that see storing machine codification successful Switzerland that European partners tin access, helium said.

Microsoft is making 5 integer commitments to Europe, including expanding its information halfway capableness by 40% implicit the adjacent 2 years and expanding information halfway operations successful 16 countries, Smith said. He did not database the countries. The enlargement volition outgo tens of billions of dollars annually. Smith declined to beryllium much circumstantial astir the outgo erstwhile asked by reporters.

The enlargement comes amid calls for Europe to asseverate tech and information sovereignty by weaning itself disconnected reliance from large U.S. unreality information work providers, including Microsoft, Amazon and, to a lesser extent, Google.

“Given caller geopolitical volatility, we admit that European governments apt volition see further options,” and Microsoft is committed to collaborating with European companies, Smith said.

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