on Thursday announced a A$25 billion ($18 billion) investment into Australia’s digital infrastructure which will see the technology giant partnering with Canberra on initiatives spanning cybersecurity, workforce upskilling, and artificial intelligence development.
Touting its “largest ever” investment in Australia, Microsoft said it would expand adoption of its Azure cloud computing infrastructure in the country by more than 140% by the end of 2029.
The partnership would also see Microsoft expanding existing collaborations with government entities like the Australian Signals Directorate — Australia’s signals intelligence agency — and the Department of Home Affairs to secure critical infrastructure, as well as training three million Australians on the use of AI by 2028.
Microsoft’s Thursday agreement builds on a previous A$5 billion commitment to Australia in October 2023, which it said at the time was its “single largest investment” in 40 years operating in the country.
“We want to make sure all Australians benefit from AI. Our National AI Plan is all about capturing the economic opportunities of this transformative technology while protecting Australians from the risks,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference where he was joined by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella as part of the Sydney leg of Microsoft’s AI tour.
