Microsoft Plans to Invest $10 Billion in Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar
A senior executive at Microsoft said the company plans to invest more than $10 billion in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar from now until 2030, including in cloud services infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
The American tech giant is working to make digital resilience a core part of its strategy in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict involving Iran.
Gulf states are pouring billions into artificial intelligence as part of their efforts to transform into global hubs that help diversify their economies away from reliance on oil and gas, leveraging abundant land and access to low-cost energy to attract major cloud computing firms, including Microsoft.
Nevertheless, challenges remain, including securing advanced semiconductor chips and the uncertainty created by the war.
Smith said, “We continue to execute all the investments we planned before this conflict erupted, and in fact, we are expanding them... It is an ambitious and intensive spending schedule.”
He added that Microsoft has supported its local partners during the conflict, including conducting digital resilience assessments, even in the first week of the conflict that erupted on February 28.
Microsoft is currently helping Gulf states in areas such as readiness and protection of critical data, as part of an initiative to enhance digital resilience.
Smith noted that it was not possible to provide details on planned investments by country or specific project, citing factors including security considerations.
Microsoft also plans to invest more than $400 million in maritime and terrestrial communications infrastructure across the Middle East by 2030.
The company is also strengthening its partnerships with national AI-focused firms, including Abu Dhabi’s G42, in which Microsoft invested $1.5 billion in 2024 to acquire a minority stake, earning Smith a seat on its board.
Smith said Microsoft is collaborating with Saudi company Humain and Qatari company KAI in specific areas that are priorities for them, noting that the company does not intend to make capital investments in these two firms.
