Today, at the official launch event of the new cloud region in Doha, we shared how Google Cloud investments will meet growing demand for cloud services in Qatar and the Middle East, and support Qatar’s National Vision 2030. The new Doha cloud region will help businesses and the public sector transform the country into a digital economy through innovation.
Research commissioned by Google Cloud and conducted by Access Partnership revealed that the new Doha cloud region is expected to drive increased economic activity and is estimated to contribute a cumulative 18.9 billion USD in higher gross economic output to the economy of Qatar between 2023 and 2030, and support the creation of 25,000 jobs by 2030 alone. The new cloud region is the latest investment we’ve made in Qatar, following the recent opening of a country office in Msheireb, Downtown Doha.
Qatari institutions react
We’re excited to help accelerate cloud adoption and play a pivotal role in advancing Qatar’s digital future and technological capabilities. Businesses of all sizes in Qatar are advancing their commercial offerings and customer experience with cloud-enabled technologies. The new Doha Google Cloud region will act as a key enabler to accelerate the digitization of local companies, public sector and global organizations, and thus help businesses in Qatar build for the future and leverage the country’s economic potential.
“The launch of the first Google Cloud region in Qatar is fits in our comprehensive vision to achieve the desired goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, including the establishment of a strong digital infrastructure with internationally agreed standards and policies that will lead us all towards a more efficient economy based on digitalization and technology to facilitate quality of life and provide convenient solutions for various sectors. The new cloud region will contribute to giving impetus to economic and productivity growth and will allow various government and private companies and institutions within Qatar the opportunity to achieve significant efficiency gains by adopting flexible features in dealing with digital technology.” – His Excellency Mr. Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Qatar
“The launch of the new Google Cloud region in Qatar marks a significant milestone in our growing partnership with Google Cloud that started in 2020 with an agreement to establish Google Cloud’s region in Doha. We are proud to provide world-class cloud services from the free zones in Qatar, this is in addition to QFZ’s pivotal role in introducing disruptive technologies and advanced digital infrastructure, creating opportunities for businesses to enhance their capabilities, foster innovation, and advance the technology sector in the State. This will further accelerate Qatar’s digital transformation and the realization of Qatar National Vision 2030 that aims to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy.” – H.E. Ahmad Al Sayed, Minister of State and Chairman,Qatar Free Zones Authority(QFZ)
“Qatar Airways is excited at the opportunity offered by Google setting up its Cloud region in Qatar. This gives us the ability to innovate jointly with Google and leverage their rich Cloud service offerings. We are particularly keen to use AI/ML-driven data insights using Google Cloud as a platform for enhancing our world-acclaimed customer service whilst also improving our operational efficiencies. Areas like data-driven predictive maintenance will now be so much easier with Google Cloud being in Qatar and our data residing here securely.” – His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive, Qatar Airways Group
“We are delighted to enter this major new partnership with Google Cloud, which will help beIN embrace latest technologies and innovations. As a proud Qatari media group, we are always looking to innovate as a business and find ways to improve the experience of millions of our subscribers worldwide. In partnership with Google Cloud, beIN will help drive the continued digital transformation of the sports, entertainment and media industry, both in Qatar and globally.” – His Excellency Mr. Nasser Ghanem Al-Khelaifi, Chairman ofbeIN Media Group
“Our partnership with Google Cloud affirms our shared desire to facilitate the growth of local businesses by providing opportunities and solutions that enable them to capitalize on the transformative benefits of technology and digitalisation. Working with Google in this field builds up the support we provide our clients, particularly those in the financial services sector, and takes us steps forward in our mission to support the transformation of Qatar into a digital and fintech hub and the country’s sustainable development in line with the national development plan.” – Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, Chief Executive Officer,Qatar Financial Center
“Today marks an important milestone for Ooredoo and our ongoing commitment to deliver upgraded experiences to our customers through innovative and transformative solutions. With the new Google Cloud region now open in Doha, we have a powerful tool and state-of-the-art technology at our disposal that we can leverage to accelerate the transformation of businesses in Qatar and the region, and help them upgrade the way they work. We are excited to collaborate even further with Google Cloud to deliver exceptional technology that will enable our customers to unlock new possibilities for growth and success with unparalleled speed and efficiency. This partnership with Google Cloud is a testament to our unwavering focus on meeting the evolving needs of our customers and supporting the Qatar National Vision 2030. We are excited about the endless possibilities that lie ahead and look forward to achieving great things together.” – Thani Ali Al-Malki, Chief Business Officer atOoredoo Qatar
“We are delighted to be from the group of companies leveraging Google Cloud’s latest milestone in Qatar with the opening of the new cloud region. The new region will help Al Jazeera positively impact and empower more customers and partners around the world. Our collaboration with Google Cloud has helped us deliver tremendous value-added services to news readers around the globe. We are able to capture and analyze how people engage with news in real-time and translate these insights into actions that help us keep the world better informed. We believe that with the cloud region now in Qatar, we are going to be strongly positioned to deliver exceptional news coverage and drive deeper engagement to all the information.” – Ahmed AlFahad, Executive Director of Technology & Network Operations, Al Jazeera Media Network
Serving Qatar and the Middle East
The new Doha region is part of Google Cloud’s global network of 37 regions and 112 zones that bring cloud services to over 200 countries and territories worldwide. The new region brings high-performance, low-latency services and products to customers of all sizes, from public sector organizations, to small, medium and large enterprises and startups in Qatar and the Middle East. Organizations in the region will also benefit from key controls that allow them to maintain high security, data residency, and compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.
Like all Google Cloud regions, the Doha region is connected to Google’s secure network infrastructure, comprising a system of high-capacity fiber optic cables under land and sea around the world. The new region will bring high-performance, low-latency services and products to organizations across the Middle East. To help kick-start local users on Google Cloud we welcomed over 1,200 executives, government officials, developers and IT professionals to our launch event held at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) today. You can watch the keynote recording online.
For help migrating to Google Cloud, please contact our local partners. For additional details on Google Cloud regions, please visit our locations page, where you’ll find updates on the availability of additional services and regions. You can always contact us to help you get started or access our many educational resources. We’re excited to see what you build next with Google Cloud.