After bringing Collision, Google and Netflix to Toronto, the City does it again
Microsoft’s new headquarters is a 132,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office, and it has just been opened on Bay Street in downtown Toronto. Over the past three years, Microsoft has doubled its Canadian workforce and now employs 5,000 full-time staff members across the country. The new office location will be a welcome development for highly skilled immigrants to Canada.
Microsoft chose Toronto for its new Canadian Headquarters because of its strong technology ecosystem, depth of multicultural talent and network of globally recognized universities. Microsoft incorporates designs to “engage with the community and support Microsoft’s inclusive hybrid culture.” It has a Team Based Space that pairs innovative technology with collaborative workplaces, empowering employees.
“With the launch of our new headquarters, official opening of our Data Innovation Centre of Excellence and expansion of our regional presence, even more organizations of all sizes and sectors can leverage the power of cloud and data to accelerate their organization’s growth and drive new economic opportunity for Canada,” said Kevin Peesker, the president of Microsoft Canada, in a statement.
The Microsoft headquarters hosts an Envisioning Centre and the first-of-its-kind Data Innovation Centre of Excellence (DICE). The company explains that it enables company experts to co-innovate with clients and partners on “cutting edge data, AI and mixed reality technology solutions.” The new headquarters plays a substantial role in assisting local start-ups, students, and community organizations within the GTA and across Canada.
The opening of the new headquarters coincides with the release of EY’s research on Microsoft’s impact on the Canadian economy. The research states that Microsoft and its ecosystem contribute more than $37 billion to Canada’s GPD. Microsoft’s ecosystem includes more than 15,000 partners and nearly 300,000 Canadian jobs.
“Microsoft’s announcement of a brand new Canadian headquarters is another example of how the technology sector is fueling economic growth across the country. As the demand for digitization and new technology continues to grow across all industries, major companies like Microsoft continue to choose Canada for the ingenuity of our talent and the ambition of our innovation agenda,” said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
Toronto and technology
Toronto is increasingly becoming a global technology hub. From June 20 – 23, Toronto will be bringing together 33,000 attendees, 1200 journalists and 400 speakers to the Collision conference, probably the world’s biggest tech gathering.
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