Microsoft Azure Launches First Austrian Region

Microsoft revealed today its intention to establish a new data center region within Austria, marking the company’s initial investment of this kind in the nation. Coupled with existing Azure regions in Switzerland, Germany, France, and an upcoming region in northern Italy, this area of Europe is now well-served by Azure infrastructure. Microsoft also highlighted its intention to introduce a new “Center of Digital Excellence” in Austria, designed “to update Austria’s IT infrastructure, governmental services, and stimulate industry innovation.”

Currently, Azure encompasses 65 cloud regions globally – a figure that incorporates some regions still under development. While competitors frequently emphasize that not all of these regions yet offer multiple availability zones, Microsoft intends to rectify this situation. For the time being, the proximity of alternative regions often compensates for this limitation.

Image Credits: Microsoft

Regarding availability zones, alongside the announcement of the Austrian data center region, Microsoft also unveiled plans to broaden its cloud services in Brazil. New availability zones, designed to support high-availability applications, will be introduced within the existing Brazil South region in 2021. Presently, this region supports Azure workloads, but will soon extend support to Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and the Power Platform over the coming months.

This declaration represents a substantial commitment to expanding Microsoft’s footprint in Brazil. Microsoft is collaborating with the Ministry of Economy “to facilitate job placement for as many as 25 million workers and is providing complimentary digital skills training with the potential to educate up to 5.5 million individuals” and to leverage its artificial intelligence capabilities to safeguard the rainforest. While this last initiative might appear optimistic, the specific strategy involves utilizing AI to forecast potential deforestation areas based on data gathered from satellite imagery.