Qatar expects $19 billion GDP boost in seven years
Google Cloud has opened a cloud region in Doha which is projected to create a $19 billion surge in economy of Qatar ‘s gross domestic product by 2030, during which the region will create 25,000 more jobs. This new cloud region is the latest significant investment made by Google Cloud in Qatar, following the recent opening of a country office and virtual centre of excellence (CoE) in Msheireb. An official launch event in mid-May was attended by the Qatari Cabinet and the elite of Qatari businesses, along with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and members of the Qatar Free Zone Authority (QFZ).
The new Doha region is part of Google Cloud’s global network of 37 regions and 112 zones that bring cloud services to 200 countries and territories worldwide. It promises high-performance, low-latency services and products to every public servant, global corporation and all the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and start ups that sit in between these polarities in Qatar and the Middle East. Google Cloud has promised key controls that can maintain the highest security, data residency and compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.
It is all in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030, that aims to transform the country into a digital economy and Google Cloud now has the leading support role, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai said at the event. By turns Google’s continual investments in infrastructure and resources showed its commitment to Qatar’s digital future and technical capacity. MCIT and the Qatari government laid the foundations and cultivated the growth of cloud computing across the government through the adoption of appropriate policies, which facilitated Google Cloud’s market entry, said Mannai.
The launch of the first Google Cloud region in Qatar builds to the desired goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, including the establishment of a strong digital infrastructure with internationally agreed standards and policies said Mannai. “The new cloud region will give the impetus to economic and productivity growth. Governments, private companies and institutions in Qatar can achieve significant efficiency gains by adopting flexible features in dealing with digital technology.”
Rich though it already is, the economy of Qatar holds tremendous growth potential, according to Adaire Fox-Martin, pictured above in suit, the President of Google Cloud’s Go-to-Market division. “The Doha cloud region will be a catalyst for economic development and will create more employment opportunities in the Qatari market as more businesses grow and expand with the power of cloud technologies,” said Fox-Martin, “we are also humbled by the presence of Qatari Cabinet Ministers and leaders from Qatari businesses at the region launch event today, which reflects the endorsement of the new cloud regions’ potential.”