Microsoft pledges $1 Billion to benefit non-profits & university researchers

In a recent blog post, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Microsoft will be contributing $1 Billion in cloud computing resources over the next few years to benefit over 70,000 non-profits, NGO’s and university researchers globally. The announcement comes under the hood of Microsoft Philanthropies – the recently announced expansion of Microsoft’s commitment to global giving.

In the January 20 issue of the Financial Times, Satya Nadella has discussed what makes this effort necessary and how they can facilitate governments and NGO’s to use the public cloud for public good. The “public cloud” refers to massive, privacy-protected data and storage services rendered over a network for public use. Cloud computing makes it possible to reason over quantities of data to produce specific insights and intelligence. It converts guesswork and speculation into predictive and analytical power.

Last fall, world leaders at the United Nations adopted 17 sustainable development goals to tackle some of the toughest global problems by 2030, including poverty, hunger, health and education. Microsoft believes that cloud computing can play a pivotal role towards those issues.

Microsoft Philanthropies will donate the services over the next three years as part of a larger three-part commitment. Here’s a round-up of Nadella’s important announcement.

1. Microsoft aims to serve the broad needs of the non-profit community. The program aims to make Microsoft Cloud Services available to more than 70,000 non-profits in the next three years.
2. Cloud resources are hoped to be expanded to faculty research in universities. Microsoft’s research program would grant free cloud storage and resources to university students and faculty to accelerate research initiatives in science and technology.
3. In a combined effort with Microsoft Business Development, Microsoft Philanthropies will donate access to cloud services and invest in newer, low-cost, last-mile internet access technologies and community training.

Read Satya Nadella’s complete announcement here.

Image Source – Mashable