The announcement was made on Thursday during an event in Johannesburg.
In addition to the infrastructure investment, Smith revealed that Microsoft will cover the costs of technical certification exams for 50,000 individuals, aiming to equip them with high-demand digital skills.
This move aligns with Microsoft’s broader strategy, as the tech giant had previously disclosed in January its intention to invest approximately $80 billion in fiscal year 2025.
The funds will primarily support the development of data centers to train AI models and deploy AI-driven and cloud-based applications.