In London, Microsoft has made a commitment to resist any potential directives from the U.S. government that could halt its data center operations in Europe. This move is an effort to reassure European customers worried about possible service interruptions due to escalating trans-Atlantic tensions.
Microsoft’s president highlighted that these concerns, while not currently a topic in Washington, D.C., are significant for European clients, including governmental bodies. Recent actions from President Donald Trump, like igniting a trade war with tariffs and pausing intelligence sharing with Ukraine, have raised concerns over his administration’s dedication to maintaining a strong trans-Atlantic alliance.
Addressing these apprehensions during an event in Brussels, Microsoft’s president emphasized the company’s reliability to European nations as he announced plans for expanding its data center operations across the continent. He assured that Microsoft would vigorously challenge any government orders to shut down cloud services in Europe by pursuing all legal options, including court litigation. This stance is backed by their past experiences fighting lawsuits under previous U.S. administrations.
Furthermore, in a contingency plan, Microsoft is prepared to implement business continuity measures, ensuring European partners can continue accessing important computer code stored in Switzerland should they face an ultimatum. Microsoft’s commitment includes five key pledges for Europe, notably increasing data center capacity by 40% over two years and expanding operations in 16 countries. The financial investment for this expansion is promised to reach tens of billions of dollars annually, though exact figures remain unspecified.
This expansion initiative occurs at a time when Europe is encouraged to enhance its technological independence by decreasing reliance on major American cloud service providers such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. Microsoft’s President acknowledges the possibility of European governments exploring other options due to current geopolitical unrest and confirms the company’s willingness to work collaboratively with European firms to address these challenges.