Technology: Global Giants arrive in Greece—Investments and next steps

nother year of strong interest from international tech giants comes to an end. With announced investments going forward, new ones around the corner, and various actions and initiatives set to help upgrade entrepreneurship in Greece, the prospects are encouraging.

International interest has been focused on the creation of data centers, as well as a series of products and services (such as training) around those products and services. Significantly for the Greek economy,

investments in data centers do not only involve large companies, and also concern smaller businesses and ultimately the consumer.

Tech executives also point out that their investment in Greece is not accidental. Greece’s geographical location makes it a strategic hub connecting Europe, Africa, the Middle East and subsequently Asia, while the country’s economic and political stability after a decade of economic crisis is another pertinent factor.

However, improvements in infrastructure coupled with high-quality human resources in the sectors in question are the key element that ultimately led tech giants to Greece.

According to the Athens Macedonian News Agency, the seven giants that are expanding their businesses in Greece.

Digital Realty—Work is underway on the Athens 4 data, with Athens 5 also coming up

Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), is the world’s largest provider of cloud-neutral data center, colocation and interconnect solutions. Digital Realty is the largest and most interconnected carrier-neutral provider of data center services in Greece.

Amazon Web Services—Greece is among 26 countries outside the US where Local Zones are to be installed. Greece’s new AWS Outpost Testing Lab is the first to be created in Europe.

Early in 2020, AWS created the Edge Location in Athens, introducing technologies such as Amazon CloudFront, Lambda@Edge, AWS Shield and AWS WAF to connect Greece to the global AWS infrastructure network and improve the secure provision of services to customers in the country by more than 50%. The company also opened its Athens offices in response to its ever-growing client base in Greece.

Google—The creation of the first Cloud Region in Greece, specifically in Athens, seeks to accelerate the country’s digital transformation.

Google confirmed the creation of the first Cloud Region in Greece, in Athens, with the ultimate goal of accelerating the country’s digital transformation. According to AlphaBeta Economics, by 2030, Google’s project is estimated to have contributed a total of $2.2 billion to Greek GDP and supported the creation of over 19,400 new jobs.

NTT DATA—The Japanese technology company is strengthening its presence in Greece

Its dynamic expansion with new investments was announced a few weeks ago by the Japanese giant, which is one of the top 10 IT companies in the world. At the opening of the company’s new offices in Greece, Evangelos Konstantinis, the managing director of NTT DATA Greece, laid out four goals for the Greek branch: to grow by 15% in 2023 through the services it provides to international organizations; to employ 400 people by 2026, providing its employees with career opportunities; to create added value; and to strengthen local economies.

Microsoft—Creates a complex of three Data Centers in Attica, putting the country on Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure map.

In 2020, Microsoft launched the GRforGrowth initiative, a major technological commitment to provide technology and new resources to citizens, the public sector and businesses of all sizes in Greece, thereby creating additional growth opportunities.

As part of this initiative, Microsoft will be creating a complex of three Data Centers in Attica, putting the country on Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure map—the largest in the world—and ensuring access to business-level “low latency” Cloud services for Greek enterprises. At the same time, to support Greek citizens in their professional and personal goals, Microsoft will train a workforce of 100,000 citizens in digital skills by 2025.

Huawei—Emphasis on its presence in Greece

The tech giant Huawei also stresses its presence in Greece. The tech giant believes the influx of investments from hyperscale cloud providers in the Greek data center ecosystem signals the country’s growing visibility as an attractive destination for investment and the development of state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Huawei is ready to introduce next-generation solutions with AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms into data center infrastructures, integrating photovoltaic systems with energy storage that promise resource savings, uninterrupted operation, scalability, security and efficiency.

Cisco—Continuous dynamic growth in Greece with a scaling up of partnerships

Ongoing dynamic development and expanding partnerships characterized Cisco’s presence in Greece in 2023.

The Aegean Neorion Innovation Center (ANIC) was inaugurated, while Cisco also continued its digital skills development program, the Cisco Networking Academy. CISCO’s partnerships and academies cover the whole of Greece, with nearly 100 sites, more than 60 certified trainers, 22,000 plus certified graduates, and over 4,500 registered students.

Source: tovima.com