Microsoft to invest $1 billion in Polish cloud project

[May 05, 2020]  WARSAW (Reuters) - Microsoft will invest $1 billion in Poland as part of a plan that will involve opening a data centre in the country to provide cloud services to businesses and government institutions, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, U.S. on June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Microsoft said it had signed an ageement with domestic cloud provider Chmura Krajowa (National Cloud) to provide cloud services in Poland, as the central European country seeks to position itself as a regional centre for technology.

"I deeply believe that Microsoft's investment in Poland will be important for enterprises, public institutions and the education system and will enable them to digitally transform and implement new work standards," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a statement.

Chmura Krajowa (National Cloud) was formed in 2018 by Poland's largest bank, PKO Bank Polski, and the Polish Development Fund (PFR) with the aim of speeding up the digitalisation of businesses and the public administration, according to its website.

The partnership with Microsoft will last for seven years and will involve training people in Poland in cloud-based technology.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Marcin Goclowski; Editing by Alex Richardson and Louise Heavens)

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