Microsoft will invest $2.9 billion over the next two years to boost its hyperscale cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Japan, marking its biggest investment in the country.
The announcement was made on Tuesday in Washington after Microsoft President Brad Smith met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is in the United States for the first official visit by a Japanese leader in nine years. The Nikkei newspaper had reported the new investment earlier.
Microsoft will also expand its digital training programs to provide AI skills to more than 3 million people over the next three years, the company said in a statement. It plans to open a lab in Japan focused on AI and robotics, while deepening its cybersecurity collaboration with the Japanese government.