Leaked documents reveal Microsoft’s prominent role as a cloud services and AI provider for the Israeli military, with significant support growth since the Gaza genocide began on October 7, 2023, international media reported
According to Drop Site News, Israel has become one of Microsoft’s top global partners, incurring engineering and consultancy costs of around $10 million since the attacks started. Additional projects worth $30 million are under review for 2024, though the overall size of Israel’s contract with Microsoft remains unclear.
Cloud usage by the Israeli military increased by over 155% between June 2023 and April 2024, peaking just before the May 2024 Rafah offensive.
Key Microsoft services, including Azure OpenAI and translation tools, accounted for 75% of military usage. The AI tool Lavender, used to analyze data on Gaza residents and identify potential Hamas links, flagged approximately 37,000 Palestinians as suspects, according to +972 media.
This surge reflects a trend among tech companies pursuing military contracts. Microsoft reportedly offered discounts to strengthen its defense ties with Israel, a strategy similar to Google’s AI support for Israeli forces.
Google, as revealed by The Washington Post, expedited access to its Vertex AI service for Israel’s Defense Ministry shortly after the conflict began.
Internal concerns over competition with Amazon emerged, while additional efforts in 2024 saw Google providing advanced platforms like Gemini AI. Protests against Google’s Nimbus cloud contract with Israel followed, highlighting employee opposition to military involvement.
Both Microsoft and Google have not publicly addressed these reports, while the Israeli Defense Ministry declined to comment on the nature of its partnership with these tech firms.
