Microsoft On the Issues

Today, we introduced our newest US AI datacenter in Wisconsin—the largest and most sophisticated AI factory we’ve built. By early 2026, our first Wisconsin datacenter will be operational, creating hundreds of jobs, with additional AI datacenters already underway to expand the site’s capabilities. And we will build a second datacenter of similar size and scale—bringing our total investment in Wisconsin to more than $7 billion. These facilities feature hundreds of thousands of the world’s most powerful NVIDIA GPUs, billions of GBs of storage, and a hyper-optimized network with enough fiber cable to circle the globe 4.5 times. Advanced liquid cooling eliminates water use for 90% of the campus, sustainably powering AI training at an unprecedented scale. Beyond technology, our partnerships with 40+ local organizations have trained 114,000+ people in AI and digital skills and connected over 9,300 rural residents with reliable broadband. These investments show that leading means delivering—not just talking about the future of AI but building it right here in our communities. Read more in Brad Smith’s blog on the purpose and impact of these datacenters: https://lnkd.in/dTCvFdXi

Cyber mercenaries are changing the landscape of digital risk, enabling sophisticated attacks that reach far beyond traditional targets. Their services are fueling a growing ecosystem where advanced intrusion capabilities are more accessible than ever. Research and academic institutions have become prime testing grounds for new attack techniques, making them a critical front line in the effort to protect innovation and safeguard sensitive information. The lessons learned here often shape the security posture of organizations everywhere. Addressing this challenge requires a united response. Collaboration across industry and government is essential to disrupt the market for cyber mercenary services and strengthen the resilience of our connected world.

AI is a powerful tool for local economic development, opening new doors for students, entrepreneurs, and workers. Through Microsoft TechSpark, we’re partnering with local leaders and nonprofits to expand digital skills, create jobs, and spark innovation, from workforce skilling in Eastern Kentucky to advanced manufacturing in Wisconsin. Since launch, TechSpark has helped secure over $700M+ in community funding and supported 65,000 people in building new career opportunities. These results show what’s possible when we listen deeply and invest in people who know their communities best. The 2025 TechSpark Impact report shows how AI can be a bridge to local prosperity, not a barrier. Learn more about this progress in the 2025 report: https://msft.it/6049sanMz

In the past year, the Copilot Voice system, part of Microsoft’s broader consumer Copilot service relaunch, underwent a Sensitive Uses and Emerging Technologies review to address the novel risks associated with its voice and audio capabilities. The review process involved extensive red teaming, risk identification, and mitigation efforts, ensuring the system's safe deployment. Additionally, the team developed transparency documentation to inform users about the AI feature's capabilities, limitations, and best practices. Learn about this case study in our 2025 Responsible AI Transparency Report. https://msft.it/6047svt5b

Rural hospitals provide vital healthcare services to communities across the United States. For many people, they are a lifeline. But denied insurance claims put pressure on already limited staff and threaten the stability of essential services, costing small facilities up to $330,000 a year to recover lost payments. A new AI-powered tool aims to help rural hospitals overcome the costly and time-consuming challenge of denied insurance claims. Developed by Microsoft Partners and rural health leaders through Microsoft’s Rural Health AI Innovation Lab, the Claims Denial Navigator aims to support hospitals in resolving denied claims more efficiently and recovering revenue faster. It’s part of Microsoft’s Rural Health Resilience Program, which equips essential healthcare organizations with technology and training to strengthen financial viability. We’re proud to stand with rural healthcare providers and help them stay focused on what matters most: caring for their communities. Learn more about how this tool is making a difference. https://msft.it/6049sQTal

Today, on European Day of Languages, we’re launching the LINGUA Open Call—an open invitation to accelerate multilingual AI research and data collection, with a focus on advancing digital inclusion for Europe’s low-resource languages. This initiative is part of our broader European Digital Commitments to support digital resilience, economic growth, and representation in AI, and is being launched in coordination with the APERTUS project led by EPFL and ETH Zürich , and in consultation with the Council of Europe. We are inviting proposals from nonprofits, NGOs, universities, research institutions, social enterprises, cultural organizations, and startups that help build high-quality speech and text datasets and advance digital inclusion for Europe’s low-resource languages. Applicants must be committed to producing fully open licensed datasets for text-to-text, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech applications. Selected projects will receive: ·        Up to $50,000 in funding for data collection activities. Larger scale projects requiring funding above 50,000 will be considered on a case-by-case basis, ·        Azure compute credits for up to two years, to support data-related computational needs such as processing, validation, and baseline experimentation, ·        Technical support and opportunities for research collaboration with Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, EPFL & ETH Zurich, ·        Visibility through the Microsoft AI for Good Lab ecosystem and partner networks. At Microsoft, we believe technology should serve everyone. In the era of AI, that means ensuring it works in every language. Europe is home to more than 200 languages, yet most web content that trains today’s AI is in English, leaving many European languages poorly represented in the models that increasingly shape how we work and communicate. Modern AI models learn from online content, but when a language lacks digital presence, the model struggles to understand it—leading to more errors, less accuracy, and a loss of cultural nuance. To build inclusive AI, we must invest in the voices and data that reflect Europe’s full linguistic and cultural diversity. Submissions are due by November 11, 2025. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gE4a8MPK

Cybercrime is evolving into a global marketplace, with access brokers and cyber mercenaries making attacks easier and more profitable for threat actors. Stolen credentials remain the key enabler, fueling everything from fraud to ransomware. For example, Microsoft recently led a global operation to disrupt Lumma Stealer, a malware-as-a-service tool favored by hundreds of cybercriminals. It collects login data including passwords, credit cards, bank accounts, and cryptocurrency wallets, which is traded and reused to bypass security and escalate attacks quickly. This drives everything from fraud to ransomware, making credential protection more important than ever. Disrupting this cycle requires global collaboration. Governments, industry, and defenders must work together to share intelligence and strengthen defenses. Microsoft is focused on investing in intelligence, legal action, and partnerships to help secure the digital economy.

AI is spreading faster than any technology before it, but not everywhere equally. Urgent action is needed to prevent a widening digital divide so AI’s benefits can reach everyone, everywhere. In this month’s Spotlight on AI for #UNGA80, we dive into how we're advancing AI diffusion for global progress.  Here’s what’s inside:  🌐 Microsoft's investments in electricity, internet connectivity, AI infrastructure, digital skills, and local partnerships to ensure all communities can thrive in the AI economy.  🤝 Responsible AI Fellows: Meet the experts bringing local perspectives to global challenges on AI development and deployment so that AI’s benefits are widely accessible.  🔬 Our new Wisconsin datacenter delivers 10x the performance of today’s fastest supercomputers, powering scientific and medical breakthroughs.  🧑🎓 Microsoft Elevate is expanding opportunities for students and educators in the US through new commitments that support the Presidential AI Challenge and AI Education Executive Order.  🌱 How the AI for Good Lab and partners are leveraging AI to map wetlands, monitor wildlife, and drive environmental innovation.  Read the newsletter and subscribe for more insights ⬇️    

Meet Stegra: With support from Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, Stegra is building the world’s first large, near-zero-emissions steel plant in Boden, Sweden. Here’s how it works: Stegra’s plant uses renewable energy to make green hydrogen, mixes that hydrogen with iron ore to form green sponge iron or green iron, and then feeds it into an electrified steel mill. The result? Steel that’s made with up to 95% less CO2 emissions compared to traditional steelmaking. We’re not just investing in Stegra—we’ve also agreed to buy their green steel for Microsoft’s datacenters and building projects. This commitment helps show there’s strong demand for cleaner steel, making it easier for Stegra to get the funding and support they need to build and expand. What’s special about this project? Customers like Microsoft are agreeing to buy greener materials before they’re even made, which helps kickstart these important climate solutions. 🎥 See how Stegra is helping make steel production much cleaner for our planet🔽

At Microsoft, we know that trust is earned, not given. By upholding our values of respect, integrity, and accountability, we’re working to build and deploy technology that not only drives progress, but does so responsibly—for individuals, organizations, and society at large. Learn how we’re working to build technology that is trusted and trustworthy. https://msft.it/6045sU2EU