Microsoft to set up its Fifth Azure region in China

Microsoft announced a new Azure region in China to address the growing demand for cloud services in China. 

It will be a fifth Azure region in mainland China. Since 2014, the local Microsoft partner 21Vianet operates Microsoft's Azure regions in China.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Greater China Region (GCR), Alain Crozier, said, "This unveils a big opportunity. Microsoft Cloud operated by 21Vianet was the first international public cloud compliantly launched in China through a local operating partner. Our intelligent, trustworthy, and neutral cloud platform has been empowering hundreds of thousands of developers, partners, and customers from both China and the world to achieve more with technical innovation and business transformation. The upcoming region will reinforce the capabilities to help further nurture local talents, stimulate local innovation, grow local technology ecosystems, and empower businesses in a wide range of industries to achieve more."

Microsoft's Azure cloud regions are physically separated from its Global Azure cloud environment though it is built on the same Azure cloud technology, notes the announcement.

The cloud market in China may reach $46 billion by 2023. Also, around 63% of Chinese companies intend to leverage the cloud to accelerate their digitalization programs, notes the latest studies.

The newly introduced Azure cloud region is expected to go live in 2022.