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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Microsoft has announced a $700 million (2.8 billion zloty) investment in Poland. The firm plans to focus on expanding its existing data centre in the country in order to support the development of AI, strengthen cybersecurity and boost competitiveness.
“This investment by Microsoft represents an enormous vote of confidence in the Polish people, in the Polish economy, in the government of Poland and its leadership,” said Microsoft’s vice chair and president Brad Smith, speaking in Warsaw alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“We do not make investments of this magnitude lightly,” he added. “But we have the confidence to invest here in Poland because of the work of recent years and what that has enabled us to look forward and see for the future.”
📍W #KPRM rozpoczęło się spotkanie premiera @DonaldTusk z Prezydentem, Wiceprezesem Microsoft Corporation @BradSmi. pic.twitter.com/5ND25yw38J
— Kancelaria Premiera (@PremierRP) February 17, 2025
In 2020, under Poland’s former government, Microsoft announced that it would invest $1 billion in Poland, including opening its first data centre in the region. That centre subsequently started operating in 2023.
Today, Smith announced the “second phase” of that investment, which will be implemented between now and the summer of 2026 and involve “an expansion of AI and our data centre capacity here in Poland”.
As part of its plans, Microsoft intends to “strengthen our cybersecurity work with the Polish defence forces”, said Smith, noting that such cooperation was already “rapidly deepened” after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“One of the things we’ve seen first hand is how critical Poland has been for the defence of Ukraine,” said Microsoft’s president. His firm now wants to “take cybersecurity to the next level, by building our AI competences and by working with the defence forces” to “ensure Poland remains at the technological frontier”.
Smith also noted that Poland has “become a centre for startup energy” and scientific advances. Microsoft’s new investment will further “advance [Poland’s] competitiveness”.
Speaking alongside Smith, Tusk said that Microsoft’s “plans for Poland prove that our country is a place worth investing in”. This is “an investment in our future, our security, our young generation, startups and scientists”.
Last week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai also visited Warsaw, where his firm signed a memorandum of understanding with Poland to develop a “strategic AI partnership”.
His announcement – also made alongside Tusk – initially drew criticism from the domestic opposition and many commentators because Pichai only announced $5 million of specific spending. However, Google’s chief investment officer later clarified that the firm would invest “billions of zloty” in Poland.
Google's president and chief investment officer says the firm plans to invest "billions of zloty" in Poland under a new AI partnership with the country.
Many commentators noted that Google's CEO had only announced 5m zloty of spending while in Warsaw https://t.co/npCgTQXYOk
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 15, 2025
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: KPRM (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
