ZURICH (Reuters) -Microsoft (MSFT) will invest $400 million in Switzerland, the company said on Monday, with the money going towards developing its cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The U.S. tech company announced the investment at a meeting of Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin and its vice chair Brad Smith in Bern.
Microsoft, which employs 1,000 people in Switzerland, did not give details on how many jobs the investment would create.
The money will be used to expand and upgrade its four data centres near Geneva and Zurich, responding to increased demand for AI and cloud computing services in Switzerland, it said.
The expansion will serve existing and new customers and allow data to remain within Swiss borders – an important requirement for sectors like healthcare, finance and government.
Microsoft will also expand its partnership work with small and medium-sized companies and step up training efforts to help people use AI and digital tools.
“Switzerland has created one of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems, blending world-class research with real-world applications,” Smith said in a statement.
(Reporting by John RevillEditing by Dave Graham)