Tencent’s cloud computing arm has unveiled plans to launch an internet data center in the Kingdom of Bahrain this year, marking the Chinese tech giant’s first public cloud infrastructure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Tencent Cloud and the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) have signed a memorandum of understanding for the project, which is a part of the kingdom’s efforts to become a regional cloud computing hub, according to a joint statement issued on Monday.

The memorandum of understanding will pave the way for Tencent Cloud’s ambition to widen the use of its services across the MENA region by using Bahrain’s regional position and the EDB’s ties with local and regional partners, the statement said.

Additionally, Tencent Cloud will explore the possibility of establishing training initiatives with the kingdom’s universities and educational institutions for talent cultivation, according to the statement.

The internet data center’s launch is in line with Bahrain’s “Cloud-First” policy which sees cloud computing as a weapon to modernize the government’s information and communication technologies, reduce the cost of deploying information technology infrastructure and increase the efficiency of citizen services.

The Middle East’s cloud market is expected to grow from $2 billion in 2019 to $4.5 billion by 2024, climbing at a compound annual growth rate of 17.5% during the forecast period, according to MarketsandMarkets.

Tencent Cloud operates mostly in China and the Asia Pacific region, but also has data centers in Silicon Valley, Virginia, Toronto, Moscow and Frankfurt, according to its website.

Contact reporter Ding Yi (yiding@caixin.com)

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