Microsoft Azure, the cloud computing service of Microsoft, currently operates or is establishing data centers in over 35 countries and more than 160 locations around the world. Growth in user traffic as well as Microsoft’s cloud-based products and services, including Bing, Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Dynamics 365, OneDrive, Skype, Xbox, and Outlook.com, are all fueling the company’s need for more data center capacity. To understand the company’s portfolio in greater detail, Dgtl Infra answers the questions: How Many Data Centers Does Microsoft Azure Have? and Where Are Microsoft Azure Data Centers Located?

In total, Microsoft Azure operates over 200 physical data centers in various global locations, with each distinct building home to a group of networked computer servers. These data centers are arranged into 78 regions – Microsoft Azure’s term for a set of data centers – that are deployed within a latency-defined perimeter and linked by over 175k miles of terrestrial and subsea fiber-optic networks.

How Many Data Centers Does Microsoft Azure Have?

Microsoft Azure currently has 59 regions in operation and a further 19 under development, meaning that the company will have a total of 78 regions available in the near-term. Within each Azure region are 1 to 3 unique physical locations, known as availability zones, which offer high uptime to protect data and applications from data center failures.

Presently, Microsoft Azure has 113 availability zones in operation and a further 51 under development, meaning that the company will have a total of 164 availability zones existing in the near-term.

Microsoft Azure Regions and Availability Zones
Microsoft Azure Regions and Availability Zones

Each Microsoft Azure availability zone is made up of one or more data centers equipped with independent power, cooling, and networking. The physical separation of availability zones within a region protects applications and data from facility-level disruptions.

Microsoft Azure’s over 200 data centers provide high-availability, low-latency, and scalability, by being connected with Azure’s diverse and global fiber paths. Moreover, Microsoft Azure’s Chief Technology Officer, Mark Russinovich, states that the company will “be adding 50 to 100 new datacenters each year for the foreseeable future”.

Value Proposition

Microsoft Azure’s cloud services enable corporate enterprises to achieve efficiencies and reduce costs. To deliver this cloud offering, Azure’s scaled data center portfolio drives three economies of scale:

  1. Data centers that deploy computational resources and power at a significantly lower cost per unit than smaller ones
  2. Data centers that coordinate and aggregate diverse customer, geographic, and application demand patterns, improving the utilization of computing, storage, and network resources
  3. Multi-tenant facilities lower application maintenance and labor costs

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Overall, Microsoft’s cloud serves over 1 billion customers and more than 20 million companies globally, with 95% of Fortune 500 companies running on Microsoft cloud services.

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Where Are Microsoft Azure Data Centers Located?

While Microsoft does not disclose the exact addresses of its data centers, the company does identify its regions and availability zones. To this end, below is a summary of Microsoft Azure’s – operating and future – 78 regions and 164 availability zones throughout the United States, Azure Government, Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, as well as in the Middle East and Africa.

Note that certain regions, which are marked with an asterisk in the tables below, are access-restricted to support specific Microsoft Azure customer scenarios. For example, these regions may be reserved for customers requiring in-country disaster recovery.

United States

In the United States, Microsoft Azure operates or is planning 10 regions and 26 availability zones. Specifically, Azure is available or will be opening in the following markets: Des Moines, Iowa; Richmond, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; San Antonio, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyoming; San Francisco, California; Moses Lake (Quincy), Washington; and Phoenix, Arizona.

Regions

Within these markets, Microsoft Azure operates data centers in the following regions: Central US, East US, East US 2, North Central US, South Central US, West Central US, West US, West US 2, and West US 3. While Azure is establishing its next United States data center region, known as East US 3, in Georgia, with a presence in both Fulton and Douglas Counties.

United States – Regions and Availability Zones
Regions# of ZonesCityStateOpened
Central US3Des MoinesIowa2014
East US3RichmondVirginia2012
East US 23RichmondVirginia2014
East US 33AtlantaGeorgiaFuture
North Central US1ChicagoIllinois2009
South Central US3San AntonioTexas2008
West Central US3CheyenneWyoming2016
West US1San FranciscoCalifornia2012
West US 23Moses LakeWashington2007
West US 33PhoenixArizona2021
Total26

Azure Government

Azure Government is a cloud service built to meet government security and compliance requirements for classified and unclassified U.S. Government data. For example, agencies and organizations that Azure Government targets are the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Intelligence Community – which includes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – federal civilians, and state & local governments.

Through the Azure Government service, Microsoft Azure operates or is planning 8 regions and 12 availability zones. Presently, Azure Government is available in the following markets: Des Moines, Iowa; Richmond, Virginia; Phoenix, Arizona; Austin, Texas; Washington, D.C.; and San Francisco, California.

Regions

Within these markets, Microsoft Azure operates data centers in the following regions: US DoD Central, US DoD East, US Gov Arizona, US Gov Texas, US Gov Virginia, US Sec East, and US Sec West. Additionally, Azure is establishing its next Azure Government data center region, known as US Sec West Central, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Azure Government – Regions and Availability Zones
Regions# of ZonesCityStateOpened
US DoD Central1Des MoinesIowa2017
US DoD East1RichmondVirginia2017
US Gov Arizona1PhoenixArizona2017
US Gov Texas1AustinTexas2017
US Gov Virginia3WashingtonD.C.2014
US Sec East1RichmondVirginia2020
US Sec West1San FranciscoCalifornia2020
US Sec West Central3Des MoinesIowaFuture
Total12

Americas

In the Americas, Microsoft Azure operates or is planning 6 regions and 16 availability zones. Specifically, Azure is available or will be opening in the following markets: Campinas (São Paulo), Brazil; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Toronto, Canada; Quebec City, Canada; Santiago, Chile; and Querétaro State, Mexico.

Regions

Within these markets, Microsoft Azure operates data centers in the following regions: Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Canada Central, and Canada East. Also, Azure is establishing its next two Americas data center regions, known as Chile Central and Mexico Central, in Santiago, Chile and Querétaro State, Mexico, respectively.

Americas – Regions and Availability Zones
Regions# of ZonesLocationCountryOpened
Brazil South3CampinasBrazil2014
Brazil Southeast*3Rio de JaneiroBrazil2020
Canada Central3TorontoCanada2016
Canada East1Quebec CityCanada2016
Chile Central3SantiagoChileFuture
Mexico Central3Querétaro StateMexicoFuture
Total16

In Chile, Microsoft disclosed plans for its first data center development project in the commune of Quilicura, a location within the country’s capital, Santiago. Overall, this $317m facility will comprise 26 MVA of utility power and 732k sqft (68k sqm) of area. Also, as part of Microsoft’s expansion into Chile, the company has made a commitment for its data centers to shift to a 100% supply of renewable energy by 2025.

In Mexico, Microsoft is building a data center on the Arkansas State University Campus Querétaro, which is located at Carretera Estatal 100, km 17.5, Municipio Colón, in Querétaro, Mexico. Notably, Ascenty, which is jointly-owned by Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR) and Brookfield Infrastructure is constructing its México 2 data center on the same campus. Specifically, Ascenty’s México 2 facility will offer 31 megawatts of power capacity and 3.4k racks, across 258k sqft of area.

Europe

In Europe, Microsoft Azure operates or is planning 24 regions and 52 availability zones. Particularly, Azure is available or will be opening in the following markets: Vienna, Austria; Brussels, Belgium; Copenhagen, Denmark; Helsinki, Finland; Paris, France; Marseille, France; Frankfurt, Germany; Berlin, Germany; Magdeburg, Germany; Athens, Greece; Dublin, Ireland; Milan, Italy; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Oslo, Norway; Stavanger, Norway; Warsaw, Poland; Madrid, Spain; Gävle, Sweden; Staffanstorp (Malmö), Sweden; Zürich, Switzerland; Geneva, Switzerland; London, United Kingdom; and Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Regions

Within these markets, Microsoft Azure operates data centers in the following regions: France Central, France South, Germany Central (Sovereign), Germany North, Germany Northeast (Sovereign), Germany West Central, North Europe, West Europe, Norway East, Norway West, Sweden Central, Sweden South, Switzerland North, Switzerland West, UK South, and UK West.

In addition, Azure is establishing 8 new data center regions in Europe, known as Austria East, Belgium Central, Denmark East, Finland Central, Greece Central, Italy North, Poland Central, and Spain Central. These new regions will be in Vienna, Austria; Brussels, Belgium; Copenhagen, Denmark; Helsinki, Finland; Athens, Greece; Milan, Italy; Warsaw, Poland; and Madrid, Spain.

Europe – Regions and Availability Zones
Regions# of ZonesLocationCountryOpened
Austria East3ViennaAustriaFuture
Belgium Central1BrusselsBelgiumFuture
Denmark East3CopenhagenDenmarkFuture
Finland Central1HelsinkiFinlandFuture
France Central3ParisFrance2018
France South*1MarseilleFrance2018
Germany Central (Sovereign)1FrankfurtGermany2016
Germany North*1BerlinGermany2019
Germany Northeast (Sovereign)1MagdeburgGermany2016
Germany West Central3FrankfurtGermany2019
Greece Central3AthensGreeceFuture
North Europe3DublinIreland2009
Italy North3MilanItalyFuture
West Europe3AmsterdamNetherlands2010
Norway East3OsloNorway2019
Norway West*1StavangerNorway2019
Poland Central3WarsawPolandFuture
Spain Central3MadridSpainFuture
Sweden Central3GävleSweden2021
Sweden South*3StaffanstorpSweden2021
Switzerland North1ZürichSwitzerland2019
Switzerland West*1GenevaSwitzerland2019
UK South3LondonUK2016
UK West1CardiffUK2016
Total52
Additional details on Microsoft Azure’s 8 new data center regions in locations throughout Europe are as follows:
  1. Austria East (Vienna): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and will help generate up to $2.1bn in new revenue in Austria’s ecosystem of local partners and cloud customers, over the next 4 years
  2. Belgium Central (Brussels): cloud region will have 1 availability zone and will help generate up to €31.5bn in new revenue for Belgium, over the next 4 years
  3. Denmark East (Copenhagen): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and plans to be powered by 100% renewable energy
  4. Finland Central (Helsinki): cloud region will have 1 availability zone and will help generate up to €17.2bn in new revenue between Finland’s ecosystem and cloud customers, over the next 4 years
  5. Greece Central (Athens): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and will comprise an investment of up to $1bn into Greece’s economy
  6. Italy North (Milan): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and forms part of Microsoft’s $1.5bn, five-year investment plan for Italy
  7. Poland Central (Warsaw): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and forms part of Microsoft’s $1bn, seven-year investment plan for Poland
  8. Spain Central (Madrid): cloud region will have 3 availability zones, with plans to leverage Telefónica’s infrastructure, as part of its global strategic partnership with Microsoft

Asia Pacific

In Asia Pacific, Microsoft Azure operates or is planning 24 regions and 46 availability zones. Specifically, Azure is available or will be opening in the following markets: Canberra, Australia; Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Shanghai, China; Nanjing (Jiangsu), China; Beijing, China; Langfang (Beijing), China; Hong Kong, SAR; Pune, India; Chennai, India; Hyderabad, India; Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo (Saitama), Japan; Osaka, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Busan, South Korea; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Auckland, New Zealand; Singapore; and Taipei, Taiwan.

Regions

Within these markets, Microsoft Azure operates data centers in the following regions: Australia Central, Australia Central 2, Australia East, Australia Southeast, China East, China East 2, China East 3, China North, China North 2, China North 3, East Asia, Central India, South India, West India, Japan East, Japan West, Korea Central, Korea South, and Southeast Asia.

Also, Azure is establishing 5 new data center regions in Asia Pacific, known as Southcentral India, Indonesia Central, Malaysia West, New Zealand North, and Taiwan North. These new regions will be in Hyderabad, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Auckland, New Zealand; and Taipei, Taiwan.

Asia Pacific – Regions and Availability Zones
Regions# of ZonesLocationCountryOpened
Australia Central1CanberraAustralia2018
Australia Central 2*1CanberraAustralia2018
Australia East3SydneyAustralia2014
Australia Southeast1MelbourneAustralia2014
China East1ShanghaiChina2014
China East 21ShanghaiChina2018
China East 3*1NanjingChina2022
China North1BeijingChina2014
China North 21BeijingChina2018
China North 33LangfangChina2022
East Asia3Hong KongSAR2010
Central India3PuneIndia2015
South India1ChennaiIndia2015
Southcentral India1HyderabadIndiaFuture
West India1MumbaiIndia2015
Indonesia Central3JakartaIndonesiaFuture
Japan East3Tokyo, SaitamaJapan2014
Japan West1OsakaJapan2014
Korea Central3SeoulSouth Korea2017
Korea South*1BusanSouth Korea2017
Malaysia West3Kuala LumpurMalaysiaFuture
New Zealand North3AucklandNew ZealandFuture
Southeast Asia3SingaporeSingapore2010
Taiwan North3TaipeiTaiwanFuture
Total46
Additional details on Microsoft Azure’s 5 new data center regions in locations throughout Asia Pacific are as follows:
  1. Southcentral India (Hyderabad): cloud region will have 1 availability zone. Hyderabad resides in the state of Telangana and Microsoft is partnering with the government of Telangana to accelerate cloud adoption
  2. Indonesia Central (Jakarta): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and will support companies such as Bukalapak, Pertamina, and the Ministry of Agriculture, which utilize Microsoft’s cloud services
  3. Malaysia West (Kuala Lumpur): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and forms part of Microsoft’s $1bn, five-year investment plan for Malaysia. The region, once available, will support companies including Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) and Celcom Axiata Berhad
  4. New Zealand North (Auckland): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and will support companies including Fonterra, a New Zealand dairy co-operative, and Spark NZ, a wireless carrier and fixed broadband provider in New Zealand
  5. Taiwan North (Taipei): cloud region will have 3 availability zones and will help generate more than $10bn in new revenue between Taiwan’s ecosystem and cloud customers, over the next 4 years

Middle East and Africa

In the Middle East and Africa, Microsoft Azure operates or is planning 6 regions and 12 availability zones. Particularly, Azure is available or will be opening in the following markets: Tel Aviv, Israel; Doha, Qatar; Johannesburg, South Africa; Cape Town, South Africa; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE); and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Regions

Within these markets, Microsoft Azure operates data centers in the following regions: South Africa North, South Africa West, UAE Central, and UAE North. While Azure is establishing its next two Middle East and Africa data center regions, known as Israel Central and Qatar Central, in Tel Aviv, Israel and Doha, Qatar, respectively.

Middle East and Africa – Regions and Availability Zones
Regions# of ZonesLocationCountryOpened
Israel Central3Tel AvivIsraelFuture
Qatar Central3DohaQatarFuture
South Africa North3JohannesburgSouth Africa2019
South Africa West*1Cape TownSouth Africa2019
UAE Central*1Abu DhabiUAE2019
UAE North1DubaiUAE2019
Total12

In Israel, Microsoft Azure is building a data center in the Modi’in Technology Park, a location between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Overall, Microsoft plans to spend up to $1bn to $1.5bn in Israel, which includes an allocation towards its data center investments.

In Doha, Qatar, Microsoft Azure is deploying its cloud region at MEEZA’s M-VAULT 4 data center, which will occupy a location in the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP).

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*Certain regions are access-restricted to support specific Microsoft Azure customer scenarios. For example, these regions may be reserved for customers requiring in-country disaster recovery.

Mary Zhang covers Data Centers for Dgtl Infra, including Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX), Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), CyrusOne, CoreSite Realty, QTS Realty, Switch Inc, Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM), Cyxtera (NASDAQ: CYXT), and many more. Within Data Centers, Mary focuses on the sub-sectors of hyperscale, enterprise / colocation, cloud service providers, and edge computing. Mary has over 5 years of experience in research and writing for Data Centers.

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