(Telecompaper) Microsoft has followed recent moves by rivals Google and Amazon Web Services by announcing a major expansion of its cloud business in Italy. The company pledged to invest USD 1.5 billion to build a Milan-based data centre region, its first in the country, with a view to providing digital skilling and smart-working programmes, SME acceleration and sustainability programmes as well as access to AI Hubs under a five-year plan dubbed "Ambizione Italia: Digital Restart". It expects the new region to generate more than 10,000 job-related opportunities and some USD 9 billion in direct and indirect business impact by the end of 2024.