Microsoft has announced the launch of a new cloud data centre region in Israel, bringing the total number of countries served by Azure to 21.

The region is expected to go live in 2021, starting with Azure and with Office 365 to follow. The move represents another EMEA expansion, following recent launches in Germany and Switzerland.

Among the list of customers using Microsoft's cloud in Israel are Sheba Hospital and the Tel Aviv Municipality, as well as cryptocurrency firm eToro and DevOps provider Jfrog. 

"When I speak to customers across EMEA, it is clear that the power of the cloud is essential for their competitiveness," said Michel van der Bel, president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa in a statement. "Offering Microsoft Azure and Office 365 from a data centre region in Israel forms a key part of our investment and involvement in the startup nation, as infrastructure is an essential block for the tech intensity that public sector entities and businesses need to embrace."

The 'tech intensity' marketing message continues to resonate. Anyone who has watched a Microsoft event, or read any promotional material would have happened upon the phrase, first referenced by CEO Satya Nadella at the 2018 Ignite conference. At the end of last year, the company issued a State of Tech Intensity study, polling 700 executives, which explored the emerging technologies organisations saw as critical to their future growth. Machine learning, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence were the most frequently cited.

You can read the full announcement here.

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