Internet
Microsoft is doubling cloud capacity in Germany
AI applications are now often the reason for a shift towards the internet cloud. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
In Germany, many companies have found it difficult to no longer manage important data on their own servers, but to move it to the cloud.
Microsoft has increased the capacity of its cloud solution Azure Cloud in Germany has expanded significantly this year and will double it by the beginning of 2024. The software company announced this in Munich. Marianne Janik, CEO of Microsoft Germany, identified artificial intelligence (AI) applications as the driving force for the expansion of the cloud business.
More and more products “Made in Germany” are using the cloud and AI, said Janik. “Access to powerful cloud and AI solutions is therefore a basic requirement for a high-performance economy.” By expanding Azure capacities in Germany, Microsoft is ensuring that it can meet customer demand. Reference customers in Germany include Bayer, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Börse, Lufthansa, Mercedes-Benz, SAP and Siemens.
The important cloud location for Microsoft Azure is the “Germany, West-Central Region” in Frankfurt/Main. The Rhine-Main area is particularly interesting for data center operators because of its proximity to the large Internet node DE-CIX, which enables broadband network connections with low data delays (latency).
In global competition, Microsoft Azure has to compete primarily against AWS from the Amazon Group and the Google Cloud. National cloud providers such as the Schwarz Group and Ionos are also relevant on the German market.
Microsoft did not provide any detailed information about the ecological footprint of cloud capacities in Germany. However, the group pointed out that Microsoft is one of the largest buyers of renewable energy worldwide. By 2025, Microsoft wants to only use renewable energy everywhere in the world, including in its data centers.
The cloud business is worthwhile for the group worldwide. Sales increased by 13 percent to 56.5 billion dollars (around 53 billion euros) in the last quarter, as the software company announced at the end of October. Profits rose 27 percent to $22 billion.