Microsoft is making plans to set up a cloud data centre region in Taiwan, where it is planning a "significant investment" to help develop digital skills for more than 200,000 individuals by 2024. The US software giant also is looking to expand its Azure hardware engineering team, tapping the market as an Asian design hub.
The new cloud data centre region would be its first in Taiwan and part of a global network of 66 cloud regions, Microsoft said in a statement Tuesday. When operational, it would deliver Microsoft Azure with Microsoft 365, while Dynamics 365 and Power Platform services would be added to the mix later.
The Taiwan region also would include Availability Zones, though, the software vendor did not provide specifics on how many data centre these would encompass. Microsoft's Availability Zones[1] are physically separate locations within an Azure region, with each comprising of at least one data centre equipped with its own independent power, cooling, and networking.
To ensure resiliency, a minimum of three separate zones are established in all enabled regions, a move that Microsoft has said[2] aims to safeguard applications and data from datacentre failures. A Southeast Asia Azure Availability Zone[3], served out of Singapore, was launched in December 2018.
In Taiwan, Microsoft said it worked with local companies such as Acer, Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, and Trend Micro to build customised applications for their customers. The software vendor added that its local region would support more than 90 compliance certifications, to meet industry and regulatory standards under Taiwan's executive branch of government.
The local facility also would be part of Microsoft's aim to be carbon negative by 2030, fully tapping renewable energy for its data centres by 2025.
In addition, the US company planned to