“THEN Microsoft trusted Greece. It was the first major technology company to announce a very important investment: the construction of three data centers in our country,” the Prime Minister said. Kyriakos Mitsotakisduring the greeting, he addressed the event, on the occasion of the completion 30 years of Microsoft presence in Greece.

“And we have shown, as a government, that we have the ability to create this fertile ground and attract big tech companies to our home country. And let’s do this not only because we provide opportunities, incentives, a good regulatory framework, but also because we ourselves in our government believe deep down that the digital transformation of the Greek society, the Greek economy is not just a street with one-way traffic. that anyone who does not follow will be the tail of events, this is a great opportunity for our country. An opportunity for our country to make a real leap into the future,” he stressed.

Highlighting the establishment of the Ministry of Digital Governance by the government and the digital leap that the country has achieved over the past three years with important innovations such as the digital certificate, he noted that “we have proven that we are not only consumers, consumers of technology, but we ourselves can create digital technologies that make it easier for governments to connect with citizens and businesses.”

Regarding the government’s collaboration with Microsoft to train 100,000 citizens in digital skills, he said that “technology and skills go hand in hand, and digital learning programs are at the heart of the strategies of the government, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Education and important resources from the Recovery Fund will be directed for these initiatives.

He also highlighted the company’s collaboration with the Ministry of Culture in the digital preservation and restoration of Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, using artificial intelligence.

“Our 30 years of collaboration has been amazing. For us, as a company and as a community of employees, being part of the achievements of Greece has been an amazing experience. These years have been marked by trials, challenges and upheavals. But, most importantly, they have also been marked by the increasing success of Greece and the Greek economy in recent years. I, like everyone who works at Microsoft in Greece, believe and hope that digital transformation technologies and tools will lead the country to an even more exciting future,” said the president of Microsoft in a video message. Brad Smith, adding that “the possibilities are endless. This has always been the case in Greece. And when Greece succeeds, the whole world benefits from this success.”

“In ten years, every tourist who comes to Athens or visits any Greek island will be able to use augmented reality technologies and, looking back, see what Greece was like 3,000 years ago. I am confident that students who grew up in Greece will acquire the necessary qualifications in school to qualify for a digital future,” said Mr. Smith.

Accelerating Digital Transformation

Microsoft began operating in Greece in 1992, ending its 30-year presence in the Greek market this year. In 2020, as a result of close collaboration with the government, Microsoft launched the “GRforGrowth” initiative. The goal of this initiative is to accelerate digital transformation with platforms and tools that enable the development of innovative solutions.

In particular, “GRforGrowth” concerns the creation of the first ultra-modern complex of data centers in Attica and the parallel training of digital skills for at least 100,000 people over the next 5 years.

The investment, which has joined the Strategic Investor through Enterprise Greece and is growing rapidly, is expected to create 300 new jobs and place Greece on Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure map, the largest in the world.

Microsoft trusted Greece by announcing a very important investment: the construction of three data centers in our country. And our government has proven that it can create the right ground for attracting big technology companies to our home country. pic.twitter.com/TBKwObHuzw

— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) September 19, 2022

“Ancient Olympia: points of contact”

Another initiative resulting from the collaboration between Microsoft and the Ministry of Culture and Sports is the Ancient Olympia: Common Place platform. The platform is already live and concerns the digital rendering of Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, using artificial intelligence. The digital preservation of Ancient Olympia allows the visitor to walk the streets of an archaeological site in one of the most important periods of history, brought to life in a realistic and immersive way that was not possible until now.

RES – OIE