By Kyle Anastasi, Microsoft Malta
At Microsoft, we believe the future of technology must be shaped through partnership, trust, and a steadfast respect for local laws and values. In an increasingly complex and digitally contested world, our newly announced European Digital Commitments mark a significant step in our ongoing efforts to support Europe’s growing ambition to shape its own digital future on its own terms.
This is more than an expansion of our infrastructure; it is a realignment of priorities. We are investing billions of euros to grow our cloud and AI ecosystem across 16 European countries, including Malta, and will increase our data centre capacity by 40% over the next two years. This expansion places our technology — and our trust — where it matters most: close to the customers, governments, and communities we serve.
At a time of intense geopolitical instability, Microsoft is also playing a broader role: acting as a guarantor of digital stability between the United States and Europe.
This is not a new stance. Our Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, recently reaffirmed our unwavering support for European digital sovereignty. This includes a core commitment to protect European cloud services from potential U.S. government interventions and to shield personal data in line with European legal and ethical expectations.
As Brad Smith put it, “Our goal has always been — and remains — to work with all European businesses and become part of the European economy. Our commitments are not just words.”
We have heard Europe’s call for greater transparency, stronger privacy protections, and rule-of-law-based accountability. That’s why our commitments are as much legal and ethical as they are technical. By locating infrastructure within the EU and its immediate neighbours, we’re addressing long-standing concerns around data localisation, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and dependence on non-European providers.
We are doing this not because we’re required to, but because we believe it is the right thing to do.
Europe has been a global leader in pushing for more accountable tech governance, through landmark legislation like the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), and pivotal rulings by the Court of Justice of the European Union. The message is clear: business-as-usual is no longer enough.
We are not simply responding — we are evolving. One of our most consequential commitments is to defend our European customers’ data against unlawful access, including by any government, even our own. We have already demonstrated this resolve by challenging U.S. data access requests that we believed infringed on privacy rights. And we are prepared to go to court again if necessary to uphold European laws.
Our new governance model reflects this same respect. We are establishing a dedicated European board of directors to oversee our EU data centre operations — a structural innovation that decentralises oversight and embeds European legal and ethical standards into our core. It’s accountability in action, ensuring we remain aligned with stakeholder expectations across the region.
Importantly, this initiative is not only about compliance but also about strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, creating jobs, enhancing cybersecurity, and building economic resilience amid both commercial and geopolitical challenges.
Microsoft’s footprint in Europe goes back over 40 years, and our commitment to the continent has never been stronger. We are not outsiders — we are part of the European economy, deeply invested in its future. Unlike others who see European regulation as a burden, we view it as a shared framework for trust and growth.
Of course, we recognise that commitments are only as valuable as the trust they earn. That’s why we welcome scrutiny and dialogue. We are ready to engage on how these new governance structures will operate, how compliance will be reported, and how customers will be notified about legal data access requests. Transparency and independent oversight will be the cornerstones of our approach.
While we acknowledge the commercial advantages of aligning with EU law, especially for governments and regulated sectors seeking reliable cloud partners, we do not view this as opportunism. We view it as a long-term responsibility.
What sets us apart is our willingness to adapt our core operating model to meet regional expectations. We do not see Europe’s call for digital sovereignty as a challenge, but as a shared opportunity to build a digital future grounded in mutual respect, legal resilience, and technological empowerment.
As AI, quantum computing, and data flows continue to reshape innovation and competitiveness, foundational choices like these matter. Europe does not seek isolation from the global digital economy — it seeks to engage with it on equal footing. We share that vision.
This is not merely about expanding infrastructure. It is about rebalancing digital power in a way that empowers customers, respects governments, and strengthens democratic institutions.
At Microsoft, we are proud to stand with Europe on this journey.
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