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The demand for data centers in the UK is increasing, but power supply problems and the strain on the National Grid are causing delays in their development. Traditional data center clusters in Greater London are particularly affected by power constraints, leading developers to look for alternative locations with ample power supply. Scotland and areas with former industrial sites are becoming attractive options due to their availability of power and cheaper land. Data center operators are also taking steps to use renewable energy and reduce emissions to make their facilities more environmentally friendly. However, concerns remain about the impact of data centers on the local environment and the strain they put on the electricity grid. Overall, while the demand for data centers is strong, finding the right site at an affordable price remains a challenge for occupiers. [Extracted from the article]

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Landing $5 billion in data center contracts is a "great proof point" that Lumen's AI strategy has legs, said Dell'Oro analyst Jimmy Yu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsoft has purchased a 48-acre land parcel in Leeds, Yorkshire for £106.6 million from Harworth Group. The deal includes two plots of land, with the first plot of 27 acres costing £52.9 million and the second plot of 21 acres costing £53.2 million. Microsoft plans to develop a hyperscale data center on the Skelton Grange site, although no further details have been announced. This is Microsoft's second land purchase in Yorkshire, following their acquisition of a land parcel in Eggborough in February 2024 for a data center campus and gas-fired power plant. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft has purchased a former power station site in Leeds for £106m, where it plans to develop a large data centre. The company acquired 48 acres of land from Harworth Group, with one parcel being sold on an unserviced basis for £52.9m and the other on a serviced basis for £53.2m. Harworth Group will use the proceeds to develop industrial and logistics properties, while retaining 16 acres for employment space. The Skelton Grange site is expected to include Microsoft's data centre, as well as a battery energy storage system and an energy-from-waste facility, representing over £4bn of investment. [Extracted from the article]

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Microsoft has announced plans to invest SEK 33.7 billion ($3.2 billion) in expanding its data center capacity in Sweden over the next two years. This investment, the largest of its kind in Sweden's history, will focus on boosting Microsoft's cloud and AI infrastructure and increasing the AI competence of 250,000 people to benefit the country's economy. The company will also deploy over 20,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to expand its existing data centers. In addition, Microsoft aims to balance its infrastructure developments with investments in renewable energy projects, having already invested in nearly 1,000MW of renewable energy production in Sweden. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft has reportedly bought 929 acres of farmland at St. Joe Farm, Indiana for its latest data centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsoft has announced a €4 billion investment in France's data centre sector, marking its first power purchase agreement (PPA) in the country. The company plans to build a new data centre facility in Mulhouse and bring 25,000 graphics processing units (GPU) to France by the end of 2025. Additionally, Microsoft will develop 100MW of renewable energy projects by the end of 2024 through the PPA. This investment demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to supporting digital innovation and economic growth in France. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft plans to invest $3.2 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud facilities in Sweden, taking advantage of the country's abundant green energy supply. The investment includes adding 20,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) to its three data centers and training 250,000 people in essential AI skills. Microsoft's Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, praised Sweden as an innovative country and emphasized the importance of using AI to maintain its leadership. The Nordic region has become attractive to big energy users due to its clean energy sources, with other tech giants like Meta Platforms and Alphabet also having facilities in the area. Microsoft has mitigated the risk of a power crunch by investing in renewable energy and partnering with state-owned power company Vattenfall AB. [Extracted from the article]

Vodafone and Microsoft have signed a 10-year strategic partnership deal to enhance services in Europe and Africa. The deal will utilize Microsoft's generative AI to improve customer service, IoT connectivity, and develop new digital and financial services. Vodafone will invest $1.5 billion in cloud and customer-focused AI services, and Microsoft will use Vodafone's connectivity services. The partnership aims to provide a highly personalized customer service experience while adhering to ethical privacy and security policies. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft has signed a deal to pay for 32,000 tons of biochar production in Bolivia, which will remove carbon from the atmosphere. Exomad Green, the world's largest producer of biochar, will create the carbon residue at its facility in Concepción, Bolivia. Microsoft's deal is the largest biochar removal agreement to date and is seen as an endorsement of the technique as a way to meet corporate sustainability goals. Biochar is a stable form of carbon produced by heating biomass in the absence of oxygen, and it can be plowed back into the soil to improve drainage and nutrient flow. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft and G42, the United Arab Emirates' top artificial intelligence firm, are partnering to build a $1 billion geothermal-powered data center in Kenya. The data center will be constructed in Olkaria, which has abundant geothermal resources, addressing the issue of power outages in the region. The initial phase will have a capacity of 100 megawatts and is expected to be operational in about two years. This project will enable Microsoft to create an East African region for its Azure products and expand its services in the region. The Kenyan government has also agreed to move more of its services to the cloud as part of the deal. The data center complex could potentially provide cloud computing services to neighboring countries like Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania. This initiative comes as the US seeks to counter Chinese and Russian influence in Africa, with Chinese companies like Huawei already heavily investing in the continent. The project is seen as a significant step in advancing digital technology in Kenya and demonstrates the collaboration between the United States and the United Arab Emirates in bringing technology to new countries, especially in Africa. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft has announced it will invest $2.9 billion to increase its hyperscale cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsoft Corp. plans to invest $2.9 billion in data centers in Japan by 2025, which will be its largest investment in the country. The announcement will be made during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to Washington, highlighting Tokyo's focus on increasing computing power for artificial intelligence. Microsoft will also introduce advanced AI chips at two existing sites, launch an AI-related reskilling program to train 3 million workers, and establish a research lab on robotics and AI. The US-Japan summit between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kishida will emphasize the strength of their alliance in areas such as defense, economic security, and key technologies like semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft has announced its plans to develop a data centre campus in Eggborough, Yorkshire, as part of its expansion in the UK data centre market. The campus will consist of two 2-storey data centre buildings, along with ancillary and administrative buildings, as well as a car and cycle park. Microsoft aims to prioritize biodiversity enhancement by incorporating grasslands, ponds, and native woodland areas. The campus will be situated on the site of the decommissioned Eggborough Power Station and will also host a gas-fired power plant and battery energy storage development. Microsoft intends to build the facility with sustainability in mind, aligning with its goals of diverting 90% of data centre waste by 2030 and achieving 100% renewable energy globally by 2025. The company plans to submit planning permission in mid-2024 and commence construction in Q1 2027. [Extracted from the article]

Opportunity London, a public-private partnership, has released its first London Investment Prospectus, featuring nine major development projects seeking £9.6bn of funding. The projects include Barking Riverside, Brent Cross Town, Cavendish Square, Crystal Palace Park Residential, Earls Court, Millennium Mills, Silvertown, Old Oak, Royal Albert Dock, and Thames Road, Barking. These projects encompass various sectors such as life sciences, logistics, workspace, and leisure. The launch of the prospectus coincides with JLL and Opportunity London's analysis, which shows that investment volumes in London for the past five years totaled £78.5bn. [Extracted from the article]

Christian Belady, a former vice president at Microsoft's cloud infrastructure organization, has joined digital infrastructure asset manager DigitalBridge as a senior adviser. With four decades of experience in data center operations and digital infrastructure management, Belady will assist DigitalBridge in driving investment in cloud and AI. Belady has received two awards in 2024 for his contributions to the industry and will continue to focus on advancing the sector and improving energy efficiency and design to meet the demands of AI workloads. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft plans to invest nearly 3.3 billion euros in Germany over the next two years to expand its data center capacities for artificial intelligence and cloud computing. This also includes a training program for AI that aims to reach up to 1.2 million people. The investments will mainly flow into North Rhine-Westphalia, where Microsoft intends to establish a new cloud region. With a total investment amount of 3.5 billion US dollars, Germany leads the list of investment announcements by Microsoft. The company is a leading player in the international AI market and has already invested in the AI startup OpenAI. [Extracted from the article]

BUSINESSShares of Microsoft and Alphabet took a hit this week despite the companies' strong quarterly results, said Camilla Hodgson and Tabby Kinder in the Financial Times. "Total Microsoft revenue in the three months to the end of December climbed 18 percent to a record $62 billion," while Google parent Alphabet reported 13 percent revenue growth. But both companies also "warned that capital expenditure would be higher in 2024" because of investments in AI. Investors worry that growth can't "keep up with the massive investments they plan to make in data centers and servers this year." [Extracted from the article]

Vodafone and Microsoft have formed a 10-year strategic partnership to provide digital platforms to over 300 million businesses, public sector organizations, and consumers in Europe and Africa. The partnership aims to transform Vodafone's customer experience using Microsoft's generative AI and IoT connectivity platform, develop new digital and financial services for businesses, and overhaul Vodafone's global data center cloud strategy. Vodafone will invest $1.5 billion in cloud and customer-focused AI services, while Microsoft will use Vodafone's connectivity services and promote its M-Pesa mobile money service. The partnership also includes initiatives to enhance digital literacy, skilling, and youth outreach programs in Africa, as well as support for SMEs in Europe. [Extracted from the article]

Major cloud computing providers, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, are experiencing a surge in demand for their services in Canada due to the increasing interest in artificial intelligence (AI). These companies are investing billions in data centers in Canada to expand their capacity for cloud and AI services. They not only offer compute power but also provide ready-made machine-learning applications and host marketplaces for AI startups. Larger firms in various industries are using these services to improve their operations and customer experiences. While some AI startups are building their own products, many rely on the infrastructure provided by the hyperscalers. The hyperscalers are also expanding their cloud regions in Canada to meet the demand for domestic hosting. Some Canadian tech executives have expressed concerns about the dominance of U.S. cloud giants in the AI market and have called for a national compute strategy to support Canadian companies and researchers. The hyperscalers recognize the importance of the Canadian AI ecosystem and are open to participating in initiatives to support its growth. [Extracted from the article]

This section offers economic development news briefs in Georgia as of January 2024 including Toyota Industries Electric Systems North America Inc.'s expansion of its Toyota Industries campus in Jackson County, Microsoft's plan to build a data center campus in Floyd County, and the completion of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.'s manufacturing facility in Savannah.

Microsoft is investing $5 billion in Australia over the next two years to expand its cloud computing and AI infrastructure. This includes building nine new data centers and partnering with TAFE NSW to establish a Microsoft Datacentre Academy. The company aims to help over 300,000 Australians gain the skills needed to succeed in a cloud and AI-enabled economy. This investment is seen as a positive development for the Australian tech industry. [Extracted from the article]

Google and Microsoft, along with energy companies Constellation Energy Corp. and AES Corp., are collaborating to create a platform for trading hourly credits for zero-carbon electricity. This initiative, called the Granular Certificate Trading Alliance, aims to enable the tech giants to power their data centers with clean energy. The platform will allow companies to buy and sell clean energy credits for specific hours and seasons, with the goal of increasing carbon-free energy production when it is most needed. This move is expected to drive clean energy investments and create incentives for the development of renewable power sources. [Extracted from the article]

Tech companies are investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI), but there are concerns about whether this massive investment will pay off. Sequoia, a venture capital company, questions the benefits of AI and whether it could be a waste of capital. The cost of running AI infrastructure, such as GPUs, is significant, with energy costs alone matching the cost of the hardware. Companies like Nvidia, Intel, and AMD are producing AI chips, and major players like Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta are spending billions on data centers to support AI processing. However, despite the recognition of AI products like ChatGPT, their daily use remains relatively low. The key questions for AI are how this infrastructure will be utilized and how it will impact people's lives. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft is planning to build a new data center in Hortolândia, Brazil, as part of its expansion of the São Paulo Azure cloud region. The details of the project have not been provided, but it is expected to increase the company's IT capacity in the region. This announcement follows Microsoft's plans for another data center in Sumaré, also in São Paulo state. The company aims to optimize disaster recovery and meet data residency requirements with these secondary locations. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft is planning to build a new data center in Sumaré, Brazil, as part of its expansion of the São Paulo Azure cloud region. The project has received approval from the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo, but specific details have not been disclosed. This new data center will complement Microsoft's existing data centers in Campinas and Rio de Janeiro, which are optimized for disaster recovery and regulatory compliance. Additionally, Vultr, a cloud computing company, has expanded its capacity in São Paulo by 200% and is launching a program to support startup businesses. Odata, a Latin American data center firm, has also opened a new campus in Rio de Janeiro, offering up to 24MW of capacity. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft has reached a deal with the village of Mount Pleasant and Racine County in Wisconsin to purchase 630 acres of land for nearly $100 million to build new data centers. This follows Microsoft's previous $1 billion investment in the area, making it the largest landowner in Mount Pleasant. The deal with Microsoft is seen as a positive development for the village, which had previously hoped for a manufacturing plant from Foxconn that did not fully materialize. The agreement with Microsoft may help to generate new economic growth and potentially improve the village's debt ratios. [Extracted from the article]

This article discusses the environmental challenges posed by cloud computing, particularly in terms of energy consumption, e-waste management, and the need for complex cooling systems. However, the cloud computing industry is actively working on sustainable solutions. This includes the use of renewable energy sources, energy-efficient data centers, edge computing to reduce energy demand, eco-friendly hardware design, containerization adoption, and the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning. The article also highlights innovative projects, such as Microsoft's Project Natick, which submerges data centers underwater to leverage natural cooling properties. The industry is transitioning towards green computing data centers that prioritize energy efficiency and eco-friendly practices. Overall, the future of cloud computing promises a greener and more sustainable world. [Extracted from the article]

Microsoft has replaced its diesel back-up generators with a battery energy storage system (BESS) at its sustainable data centre in Sweden. Eoin Doherty, general manager, EMEA, Microsoft cloud operations & innovation, said: "Finding alternatives to diesel backup is an important step towards our 2030 goal to become carbon negative, and is integral to our 2050 goal to remove from the environment all the carbon that Microsoft has emitted since it was founded in 1975". [Extracted from the article]

Now Microsoft has decided to pour money into perhaps the most historically doomed venture of all: fusion energy. Unlike the power plants we have today based on nuclear fission - splitting the atom - the idea behind fusion is that it's conceivably possible to capture the huge amounts of energy released when atoms fuse together. [Extracted from the article]

Lawmakers in Michigan are considering offering tax breaks to attract large data centers to the state. Advocates argue that Michigan needs to do more to compete with neighboring states and secure investments from companies like Microsoft, Meta, and Google. However, skeptics question the economic impact of data centers, as they have few employees and consume significant amounts of electricity and water. The proposed bills would expand tax exemptions to "enterprise" data centers that primarily store and process operators' own data, with certain investment and job creation requirements. Supporters believe that data centers would bring benefits to schools, municipalities, and communities that have lost manufacturing jobs. Opponents raise concerns about water usage and energy consumption. Business, labor, and economic development interests support the bills, while environmental and think tank groups oppose them. Similar legislation has been introduced in previous sessions but stalled. Data centers are seen as crucial for the growing artificial intelligence industry, and Michigan aims to attract investments and benefit rural communities. [Extracted from the article]

Now Microsoft has decided to pour money into perhaps the most historically doomed venture of all: fusion energy. Unlike the power plants we have today based on nuclear fission - splitting the atom - the idea behind fusion is that it's conceivably possible to capture the huge amounts of energy released when atoms fuse together. [Extracted from the article]

In the northern Netherlands, public outrage erupted last year when a local news outlet reported that a Microsoft Inc. data center complex was consuming more than four times as much water as the company had previously disclosed. With drought spreading around the globe, battles are emerging between data center operators and adjacent communities over local water supplies in places such as Chile, Uruguay and parts of the southwestern US. [Extracted from the article]

As they compete to build ever-more sophisticated AI models, companies like OpenAI - which created ChatGPT - Google and Microsoft will not disclose just how much electricity and water it takes to train and run their AI models, what sources of energy power their data centres, or even where some of their data centres are. 'This exponential use of AI brings with it the need for more and more energy', said Sasha Luccioni, the climate lead for the AI company Hugging Face. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information about investment company, Blackstone plans to collaborate with Amazon and Microsoft to build data centres in India, aiming to meet the increasing demand for storage and processing in the country. It mentions that the company are in discussions with other major technology company like Google and Oracle, with two-thirds of their Indian data centre business expected to come from hyperscalers.

Microsoft has blamed staff strength and failed automation for a data center outage in Australia that took place on August 30, disabling users from accessing Azure, Microsoft 365, and Power Platform services for over 24 hours. In a post-incident analysis report, Microsoft said the outage occurred due to a utility power sag in Australia's East region, which in turn "tripped a subset of the cooling units offline in one data center, within one of the Availability Zones.". [Extracted from the article]