Microsoft Saudi Arabia East Datacentre Region to Go Live in Late 2026
Cloud workloads will run locally in the Eastern Province through a new Azure region with three availability zones.
Customers in Saudi Arabia will be able to run cloud workloads locally from the fourth quarter of 2026 through Microsoft’s Saudi Arabia East datacentre region in the Eastern Province. The company stated that the new region will provide secure, low-latency cloud and artificial intelligence services for public and private sector organisations, supporting national digital transformation priorities under Vision 2030.
The Saudi Arabia East region will comprise three availability zones, each equipped with independent power, cooling and networking infrastructure. The design is intended to ensure enterprise-grade reliability, high availability and data residency for mission-critical cloud and AI workloads within the Kingdom. Once operational, the region will join Microsoft’s global network of more than 70 Azure regions across 33 countries.
Microsoft indicated that the project has involved collaboration with Saudi stakeholders, including an intent with the Public Investment Fund and SITE to explore sovereign cloud services. Government and regulatory delegations have conducted on-site visits to align on security, compliance and responsible AI standards in accordance with Saudi regulations.
The company said attention is now focused on readiness, enabling organisations to transition from pilot projects to production environments. This includes modernising data estates, strengthening governance frameworks and expanding digital skills capabilities.
