Greece and Microsoft on Monday announced an investment deal worth up to a billion euros ($1.2 billion) to build cloud storage infrastructure in the country.

The announcement comes as Greece's pro-business government plans to gradually shift the country's notoriously bureaucratic civil service online.

"We are bringing data centres to Greece. We're going to create a new region that will include Greece as well as (neighbouring countries)," Microsoft president Brad Smith told the project launch in Athens.

"This is a new opportunity for every small business in Greece... with cloud services, you pay for what you use, and you pay only when you use it," said Smith, adding companies would no longer need to invest in buying and maintaining servers.

The project foresees three data centres in the greater Athens area. No timeframe was given Monday.

Microsoft currently has data centres in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Ireland, and is building more in Poland, Italy and Spain.

The Microsoft agreement also envisages training programmes for 100,000 Greeks, officials said.

Microsoft is also designing an augmented reality website promoting Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games, to be released in 2021.

Through a cellphone application, visitors "will see in 3D the monuments and life in ancient Olympia exactly as it was 2.5 millennia ago," said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Secretive Big Data firm Palantir makes low-key stocks debut
New York (AFP) Sept 30, 2020
Data analytics firm Palantir, which has drawn fire over its law enforcement and national security work, made a low-key debut Wednesday on Wall Street at a hefty valuation of more than $20 billion. Palantir, whose name comes from the mystical, all-powerful seeing stone in "Lord of the Rings," opted for a direct listing which raises no new cash but allows its shares to be traded publicly. The debut came without fanfare, as the trade opened with no splashy bell-ringing event for Palantir, using the ... read more