Microsoft opens first data centres in Belgium
Microsoft has inaugurated its first three data centres in Belgium, officially launching the new cloud region Azure Belgium Central. The facilities, which took four years to build, represent the company’s largest investment in Belgium to date. While Microsoft has not disclosed the exact figure, specialised media estimate the investment at over 1 billion euros.
An increasing number of companies and institutions are turning to cloud services for data storage and for the additional computing power required by AI applications.
The proximity of data centres is particularly important for technologies that depend on rapid response times, such as self-driving vehicles or remote medical operations. For certain government and corporate clients, it is essential that sensitive data remains within Belgian territory.
"We listened to the needs of our customers, who asked to do business locally"
For security reasons, Microsoft is not revealing the precise locations of the centres. However, the company confirmed that all three facilities are within Belgium and tailored specifically to the Belgian market.
“We listened to the needs of our customers, who asked to do business locally,” said Frank Callewaert, National Technology Officer at Microsoft Belux.
Economic impact
Microsoft believes the new data centres will deliver substantial economic benefits. “This infrastructure offers the flexibility to grow and innovate,” the company said, projecting billions of euros in additional economic activity and tens of thousands of new jobs over the next four years.
The environmental impact of data centres has long been a point of criticism due to their significant energy use and CO2 emissions. Callewaert says Microsoft deploys efficient technologies, such as advanced server-cooling systems, that are considerably more sustainable than the older infrastructure still used by many companies.
With demand for cloud services continuing to rise, Microsoft does not rule out further expansion. “Our largest cloud regions in Europe are located in Amsterdam and Dublin, but those involve much more than just three buildings,” Callewaert said, suggesting the scale that future Belgian developments could reach.
The announcement comes shortly after Google announced a major expansion of its own Belgian data centre in Saint-Ghislain, where the company plans to invest 5 billion euros in additional infrastructure.
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