Microsoft announces plan to build data center in Taiwan

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) U.S. multinational tech giant Microsoft announced on Monday a plan to build a data center in Taiwan, along with several other projects focusing on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing.

"Today marks an important day for Microsoft in Taiwan," Microsoft Taiwan CEO Ken Sun (孫基康) said at a press conference in Taipei, citing the company's long presence in the country spanning 31 years.

During this time, the company has partnered with more than 2,400 local industries and academic institutions to promote innovation and the development of AI, cloud computing and digital transformation in the country, Sun said.

The Microsoft facility, called the Azure data center, will be the first of such in Taiwan.

Azure data centers are located in over 60 countries that house a group of networked computer servers.

According to the company, the projects will also include the establishment of a research and development team called the Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure, which will focus on cloud computing and AI development.

Meanwhile, Microsoft will also assist in bringing its business partners up to date on the latest technology of 5G network and the Internet of Things so that they can better venture into the global market.

Taiwan also needs to speed up its digital transformation quickly, the company said, and as such, it is committed to training more than 200,000 talented people in related fields within four years.

According to International Data Corp. (IDC), one of the world's leading market information advisory firms, the projects are expected to help create 30,000 job opportunities in Taiwan and generate NT$300 billion-worth (US$10.48 billion) in production value to local industries by 2024.

At the press conference, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) complimented the Microsoft initiative as a huge milestone for Taiwan and expressed confidence that the projects will bring enormous economic benefits to the country.

According to Tsai, the plan not only represents a further step in the relationship between Taiwan and Microsoft, but also shows the country's abilities in research and development.