Microsoft plans to invest more than $10 billion in capital and operating expenses across the Middle East between now and 2030, as part of a new framework covering technology, digital resilience and workforce development.

Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith and Microsoft Middle East and Africa President Naim Yazbeck announced the framework at a roundtable on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The company said the investment will support the region’s growing cloud and AI infrastructure needs, while also strengthening connectivity, cybersecurity and business continuity. It will also expand capacity and deliver long-term infrastructure commitments across Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

Smith said: “Our responsibility is not only to invest in the technology that enables that progress, but to help provide the digital resilience, security and continuity it depends on.”

Microsoft will also expand its partnerships with governments and national AI organisations, including HUMAIN, G42, QAI and the Government of Kuwait. The company also plans to invest more than $400 million in subsea and terrestrial networks by 2030, building on infrastructure such as the SeaMeWe-6 cable, which has landings in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Microsoft also said new infrastructure projects will consider water use and access to clean energy, including the use of zero-water cooling technologies where feasible.