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DOHA: Microsoft has launched its first cloud data center region in Qatar in collaboration with the Qatari Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Qatar News Agency reported on Thursday.

The 55th region for Microsoft globally will join the largest cloud infrastructure in the world, enhancing Qatar’s regional and global competitiveness, and consolidating its digital transformation.

It will also boost local growth by supporting economic diversification, fostering talent and attracting foreign investment. 

The launch ceremony, titled “Qatar Digital Journey to the Future,” was attended by several ministers, senior executives in the public and private sectors, and Microsoft officials.

In a speech, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali Al-Mannai described the launch as a milestone in Qatar’s transformation to a leading digital center both in the Middle East and globally.

He said that Qatar is seeking to foster a legal environment that enhances the sector’s attractiveness. 

The government has already passed a series of laws to encourage investment in the digital economy. 

With the opening of the Microsoft center, local and international businesses will be able to host their cloud data in Qatar, benefiting from high levels of reliability and performance.

Customers can now use Microsoft Azure to develop advanced apps in a secure cloud environment using artificial intelligence, data analytics, the Internet of things, and hybrid cloud capabilities. 

Ralph Haupter, president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa, said that customers in Qatar are using Microsoft cloud to innovate, achieve their goals, and accomplish a lot with less effort.

Qatar’s first large-scale cloud data center will provide more opportunities to accelerate the digital transformation process, he said. 

A number of agencies in Qatar are using Microsoft cloud data centers to develop their digital capabilities, including the MCIT through its national programs, TASMU platform and the Qatar digital government, as well as the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

Al-Mannai said that another global cloud data center will be launched in Qatar in the near future, allowing Qatar-based companies, as well as private and government entities, to further improve their services.