Cloud technology plays an important role in how organizations around the world are modernizing and innovating. Equally important is the vision that business and technology leaders bring to the process. Shaped by culture, traditions, and values, it’s our lived experience that often forms the foundation for innovation. Technology helps bring the vision to life. In the Cloud Cultures series, leaders from 12 different countries across the globe share how they’re combining cultural influences with cutting-edge technology to accelerate growth and tackle some of the world’s most complex challenges. Season 3 showcases how Microsoft Azure customers in four unique countries are harnessing a common strength—the power of connection—and the cloud to create solutions that bring people, ecosystems, and economies together for mutual benefit.
I’m excited to share a few highlights from Season 3 that showcase how Azure customers are bridging local customs and rich traditions with advanced technologies like AI, adaptive cloud, and Internet of Things (IoT) to create more connected communities.
Jump to explore specific episodes:
- Learn how a community-first approach to innovation is fueling success in Spain.
- See how balancing preservation and invention is creating collective growth in South Africa.
- Discover how strategic relationships are fostering multicultural exchange in Chile.
- Explore how leveraging an interconnected economy is advancing bold solutions in the UAE.
Spain: Using Azure to connect communities through infrastructure, inclusion, and sports
Community connection permeates just about every aspect of Spanish life, and organizations like Ferrovial, Grupo Social ONCE, and LALIGA are using technology to deepen that connection. Ferrovial, a global infrastructure company, uses an adaptive cloud approach and Microsoft Azure AI to build and maintain infrastructure like highways and airports, including deploying sustainable solutions like precise pesticide application for railway tracks. Grupo Social ONCE?promotes inclusivity and social equity by employing 75,000?people, 60% with disabilities, through different initiatives. For example,?its ILUNION Hotels use cloud technology to enhance accessibility by automating operations and extending access to and usage of AI to their employees.??
But in Spain, like many countries around the world, nothing brings people together quite like football (soccer). Especially LALIGA, one of the largest leagues in the world and home to beloved powerhouse teams. For LALIGA, delivering a premium experience to their 25-million-person fan base is a top priority. In this episode, LALIGA shares how transforming its digital ecosystem has enriched fan connections, strengthened the LALIGA brand, and provided better player insights.
The league captures 3.5 million data points per game from 19 cameras on the pitch, tracking players and the ball every 25 seconds. Using Microsoft Azure Machine Learning and Microsoft Azure Databricks AI, they quickly analyze and process this data, sending it to broadcasters to enhance the viewing experience and clubs to improve team performance. Additionally, digital platforms enabled by Azure provide fans access to track live stats like “Goal Probability”, which calculates the exact probability of each player scoring almost in real time, vote for MVPs, participate in the LALIGA Fantasy game, and enjoy personalized experiences, growing LALIGA’s social media community to more than 228 million global followers.
South Africa: Preserving languages, fueling youth employment, and conserving wildlife with cloud and AI
The welcoming spirit in South Africa serves as a reminder that change is possible. Organizations throughout the country are on a mission to bring a mosaic of perspectives, experiences, and talents together in the pursuit of balancing progress and preservation. One example is how Lelapa AI—a startup offering AI transcription, text analysis, and text-to-speech capabilities for African languages, including 11 from South Africa—is expanding access to information and helping preserve local languages. Another is Youth Employment Service (YES) South Africa, where leaders shared how they’re using Azure to gain operational efficiencies and scale new learning paths to 165,000 young people.
Keeping an eye on the future is especially important for conservation efforts. That’s why Peace Parks Foundation has spent more than 25 years promoting a balance between people and nature. In this episode, Brad Poole, Chief Operations Officer, and Wayne Brider, Information and Communication Technology Manager at Peace Parks drive through a game reserve to demonstrate why preserving wildlife throughout expansive territories is uniquely challenging, particularly when it requires managing ecosystems that stretch across international boundaries.
To improve their ability to combat poaching and other wildlife crime in these trans-frontier conservation areas, Peace Parks partners with Cloudlogic to deploy Microsoft AI and Microsoft Azure IoT solutions in the wild. Motion-triggered cameras equipped with AI-powered image analysis can detect poaching activities and send real-time alerts to counter-poaching teams. Using Azure for centralized data storage of images, rangers can cover larger areas with greater efficiency, transforming a previously slow and reactive system into a highly responsive, data-driven operation.
Chile: Pioneering AI solutions in energy, space exploration, and water conservation
The growth of Chile’s sustainable economy is fueled by the country’s vast array of natural resources and organizations that work hard to cultivate expansive international relationships. Colbún, a renewable energy company, is using Azure AI to optimize plant maintenance and create prediction models that help generate efficient and reliable renewable energy from diverse sources like hydro, solar, and wind. And in the Atacama Desert, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is at the forefront of astronomical research, using AI-powered data analysis to help astronomers to study millions of stars, detect anomalies, and uncover new discoveries such as Earth-like exoplanets.
The power of partnership in Chile is also evident at Finca Casabermeja, a sustainable lemon farm in one of the driest regions in the country. In this episode, Jairo Trad, founder and CEO of Kilimo, shares how they’re revolutionizing farming practices with innovative, data-driven irrigation solutions that improve water efficiency and agricultural productivity. Using Azure data and AI technology, Kilimo delivers AI-powered recommendations that draw on satellite, soil, and weather data to help farmers optimize water usage.
Their AI application uses Microsoft machine learning and Azure cloud technology to convert vast amounts of data into precise, actionable insights for farmers. With Kilimo’s help, Finca Casabermeja has been able to reduce water consumption by 12% without compromising crop yield—a significant improvement in operational efficiency that not only enhances food security but also boosts the economic stability of farming communities.
UAE: Advancing human ingenuity in agriculture, sustainability, and industry with Azure
In the UAE, a history of ambition and collaboration is accelerating innovation and growth. Organizations like Pure Harvest Smart Farms, G42, and Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) are combining these traits with the region’s interconnected economy to achieve bold technological goals. Pure Harvest Smart Farms is using AI, machine learning, and IoT to improve food security by farming high-quality, affordable produce in the desert. And on a global scale, G42 is harnessing the robust security capabilities and responsible AI standards of Microsoft via Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty to tackle complex challenges, like improving medical outcomes for more than one million Emiratis.
At Emirates Global Aluminum, sustainability is a core focus, using aluminum’s infinite recyclability and pioneering the production of solar-powered aluminum. In this episode, Carlo Nizam, EGA’s first Chief Digital Officer, shares their digital transformation journey, which includes integrating public and private clouds through the Microsoft Azure Local solution, utilizing Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on Azure Stack HCI for on-premises containerization, and Microsoft Azure Arc for consistent management across environments. This setup enables efficient, flexible, and affordable large-scale AI use cases, with generative AI supporting corporate functions and safety initiatives, and narrow AI enhancing industrial processes. EGA’s AI-driven quality monitoring system can now inspect 100% of all anodes in real-time up from only 2%, significantly improving quality control and efficiency.
EGA exemplifies how an energy-intensive industry can achieve sustainability through human ingenuity and advanced cloud technologies, setting a benchmark for the industry with their commitment to renewable energy.
Realizing success with the cloud and AI
Unique cloud cultures emerge when we harness our strengths, embrace change, and create new pathways to success with technology. I’m continuously inspired watching people around the world bring their ideas to life with the help of Microsoft Azure. As we navigate the next era of digital transformation, I can’t wait to see more IT and business leaders empower communities to thrive at the intersection of technology and culture.
Learn more about Cloud Cultures
- Catch up on past seasons of Cloud Cultures on YouTube.
- Read more about the impact of cloud and AI solutions in other countries.