Microsoft Confirms Saudi Arabia East Datacenter Region to Support Cloud and AI Workloads from Q4 2026
This milestone marks a major step in the company’s long-term investment in the Kingdom, reinforcing its commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s digital and AI ambitions under Vision 2030.
Microsoft confirmed that customers will be able to run cloud workloads from its Saudi Arabia East datacenter region starting in Q4 2026. This milestone marks a major step in the company’s long-term investment in the Kingdom, reinforcing its commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s digital and AI ambitions under Vision 2030.
Located in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, the new Microsoft Azure cloud region will include three availability zones, each equipped with independent power, cooling, and networking infrastructure. Designed for enterprise-grade reliability, security, and resilience, the region will enable government entities and key industries to run mission-critical cloud and AI workloads with low latency, high availability, and compliance with data residency requirements.
“This milestone reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued progress in building advanced, trusted AI infrastructure that supports our ambition to become an AI-enabled nation. We thank Microsoft for its strategic investment in the foundations of the AI economy in Saudi Arabia, enabling the Kingdom to serve as a platform for global progress. Our collaboration with leading global technology partners is strengthening a secure and resilient digital and AI ecosystem that empowers innovation, enhances competitiveness, and supports sustainable national growth.”
– H.E. Eng. Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Saudi Arabia
“Around the world, governments and institutions are seeking cloud infrastructure that combines innovation with trust, resilience, and respect for national requirements. Our long-term investment in Saudi Arabia reflects a shared commitment to building secure, sovereign-ready digital foundations that enable countries to adopt cloud and AI with confidence. As organizations prepare to run workloads in the Kingdom, our focus remains on supporting responsible technology deployment that strengthens economic growth, public services, and digital stability over the long term.”
– Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
Microsoft’s announcement comes as Saudi Arabia accelerates its AI and cloud adoption, moving from infrastructure build-out to production-ready AI solutions. The company has worked closely with Saudi stakeholders, including the Public Investment Fund (PIF), to explore sovereign cloud services and ensure alignment on security, compliance, and responsible AI deployment.
“Confirming that customers will be able to run cloud workloads from our Saudi Arabia East datacenter region in Q4 2026 provides organizations with clarity and confidence as they plan their digital and AI journeys. Across Saudi Arabia, we are working closely with government entities, enterprises, and partners to support readiness – from data modernization and governance to skills development – so customers can move from experimentation to production with confidence. This milestone reflects our long-term commitment to enabling meaningful, scalable impact for the Kingdom’s public and private sectors.”
– Turki Badhris, President, Microsoft Arabia
The Saudi Arabia East region will become part of Microsoft’s global cloud network of more than 70 Azure regions across 33 countries, providing organizations with secure, resilient cloud and AI services that meet both national and global standards.
Several Saudi organizations are already leveraging Microsoft cloud and AI solutions to scale operations:
Acwa is using Azure AI services and the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform to optimize large-scale energy and water operations globally. Through advanced analytics and AI-driven monitoring, Acwa has improved water treatment efficiency, conserving tens of thousands of swimming pools of water daily. The company is now expanding generative AI use cases, such as contract analysis and RFP generation, preparing for broader Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption.
Qiddiya Investment Company has scaled Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption to summarize communications, generate content, and analyze project data across Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Power BI. By building a unified data platform, Qiddiya can query terabytes of data in seconds, track progress across hundreds of assets and contractors, and accelerate decision-making for over 700 contractors and tens of thousands of workers.
This milestone underscores Microsoft’s role as a long-term partner in Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation, providing secure, scalable infrastructure to accelerate AI adoption, enhance public and private sector operations, and support Vision 2030’s ambitions.
