Microsoft wants to invest in Indonesia data centers, says Indonesian president

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp is keen to invest in data centers in Indonesia which will soon make regulatory changes to facilitate the move, the country’s president said after meeting with the software giant’s CEO on Thursday.

Indonesia’s digital economy is the largest and fastest-growing in Southeast Asia and expected to reach some $130 billion by 2025 compared with $40 billion last year, according to a report by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and Bain & Company.

“Microsoft wants to invest immediately in Indonesia,” President Joko Widodo told reporters after giving a speech at an event celebrating 25 years of the company’s presence in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also attended the event.

“So within a week we will decide a new, simple regulation to support the investment,” Widodo said, without elaborating on what the regulation might be or the size of the potential investment.

Indonesia’s government submitted a bill to parliament in January aimed at protecting consumer data in the digital era, but that has yet to be approved.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.