Microsoft Corp. announced today a $1 billion investment plan to accelerate digital transformation in the “Polish Digital Valley.”

Foundational to this multifaceted plan is the opening of a new Microsoft datacenter region in Poland as part of its global-scale cloud to provide the country’s broad ecosystem of startups, entrepreneurs, enterprises and government access to cloud services. Microsoft and the domestic cloud provider Chmura Krajowa have signed a strategic agreement to provide digital transformation expertise and broad access to cloud solutions across all industries and enterprises in Poland.

“I deeply believe that Microsoft’s investment in Poland will be important for enterprises, public institutions and the education system and will enable them to digitally transform and implement new work standards. Our primary goal is to accelerate Poland’s transformation into a technological hub for the region of Central and Eastern Europe,” said Mateusz Morawiecki, prime minister of Poland.

“I am proud to announce our $1 billion dollar investment in Poland’s continued digital transformation and the development of the ‘Polish Digital Valley.’ Today’s announcement builds on our nearly 30-year presence in the country. Microsoft’s global-scale cloud in Poland will allow an ever-wider use, faster implementation and more benefits to those public institutions and businesses in critical sectors along with Poland’s thriving start-up community. This investment will also provide strong support for the continued success of Poland’s developer talent pool and beyond, creating critical skilling and learning opportunities for an estimated 150,000 employees, partners and students. Our mission is to empower the people and organizations of Poland to achieve more,” said Jean-Phillippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations.

Microsoft and Chmura Krajowa have signed a partnership agreement to support Polish public institutions and businesses in critical sectors such as government, health, education, manufacturing, retail, energy, finance, insurance and more.

An important pillar of the plan is the long-term skilling program to expand employment opportunities for local professionals and youth. Microsoft aims to boost the digital competencies of an estimated 150,000 business employees and IT professionals, educators, students and citizens to support the digital transformation of organizations. The skills development program will include trainings, e-learning programs, workshops and hackathons covering cloud computing, developing with AI and machine learning technologies, big data and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The new cloud datacenter region joins Microsoft’s global footprint of cloud regions, now totaling 59 regions announced, with Microsoft Azure available in over 140 countries, and will provide companies local access to Microsoft’s full set of cloud services: Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, Compliance, security and privacy.