TOKYO - Microsoft Corp. will invest 1.6 trillion yen ($10 billion) in Japan over the four years through 2029 to reinforce infrastructure related to artificial intelligence and cloud computing, a top executive of the U.S. tech giant said Friday.
In a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo, Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, said the firm will team up with Japan's SoftBank Group Corp. and Sakura Internet Inc., a cloud service provider, under the plan.
"We are making the biggest investment decision in Japan," Smith told Takaichi at the outset of the meeting, which was open to the media, adding, "We can provide the support that the Japanese economy needs for the future."
The planned investment will focus not only on technical aspects but also on cultivating human resources and strengthening cybersecurity, he said.
Takaichi welcomed the plan, which she said is "very meaningful" in terms of Japan's "data sovereignty," a concept stressing the importance of digital data being subject to the laws and regulations of the country where it is generated, collected or stored.
SoftBank is a major investment and technology company, while Sakura Internet, based in Osaka in western Japan, is known as a trailblazer in the nation's internet service industry.
In 2024, Microsoft outlined a two-year investment plan worth $2.9 billion in Japan that included measures to upgrade its data centers that are essential for AI use and to bolster cloud computing.
