Microsoft has pledged to deepen its footprint in Europe and protect the data of European citizens, as tensions rise between the United States and the European Union in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the political spotlight.
The company’s president, Brad Smith, announced during a visit to Brussels, urging businesses to act as a bridge between the two continents.
Trump has taken umbrage over the European Union’s rules against Big Tech — dominated by US giants including Microsoft — threatening retaliation against any moves.
But Microsoft President Brad Smith struck a positive note during a visit to Brussels.
“We are at a moment in time when business needs to be a bridge across the Atlantic,” Smith said.
Microsoft is expanding its data centre operations in 16 European countries and help build an artificial intelligence “ecosystem” on the continent.
It also wants to establish partnerships with European cloud players. Currently, US tech firms — Amazon, Google and Microsoft — dominated the cloud market in Europe.
But Europe’s dependence on US tech has been called into question since Trump’s return and threats to impose tariffs, take over Greenland and cut support for Ukraine.
The worry is that Washington could use its tech dominance as a weapon in any standoff with Brussels if transatlantic ties, already strained, deteriorate further.
For example, Europeans worry access to US servers could possibly be cut if Trump, whose ties with tech titans have grown, opted to use this leverage.
Microsoft’s Smith alluded to this scenario in a blog post published on Wednesday without ever naming Trump, describing it as “unlikely” to occur.
But, Smith vowed, if Microsoft was asked to suspend or cease cloud operations in Europe, it would “promptly and vigorously contest such a measure”.
“We are committing today that if any government anywhere in the world ever issues an order that seeks to compel Microsoft to suspend or cease operations and support for Europe out of our data centres here, we will go to court,” Smith said in Brussels.
“We appreciate that it is a real concern of people across Europe,” he added. (AFP)
What you should know
Microsoft’s commitment to bolstering its operations in Europe and legally defending European data sovereignty reflects rising concerns over the continent’s reliance on U.S. tech giants amid global political shifts.
With Donald Trump’s political resurgence threatening transatlantic cooperation, especially around digital regulation, Microsoft’s pledge offers reassurance to European stakeholders.
The tech giant is increasing its data centre footprint in 16 countries and promoting AI partnerships in Europe, while publicly opposing any hypothetical attempts to use cloud services as political leverage.
Brad Smith emphasized that if Microsoft were ever ordered to halt its services in Europe, the company would challenge it in court, affirming its dedication to protecting European users and infrastructure.
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