Microsoft opens new headquarters in Canada

TORONTO—Microsoft representatives recently marked the official opening of its new Canadian headquarters in Toronto.

Microsoft chose Toronto because of its strong technology ecosystem, depth of multicultural talent and network of globally recognized universities, indicates a release. Located at 81 Bay St. at CIBC SQUARE, the 132,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office was designed to both engage with the community and support Microsoft’s inclusive hybrid culture, adds the release.

The headquarters was selected to host an Envisioning Centre and Microsoft’s first-of-its-kind Data Innovation Centre of Excellence, enabling Microsoft’s experts to co-innovate with customers and partners on data, AI and mixed reality technology solutions.

The HQ will play a vital role as an innovation hub for leading technology startups, students and community organizations from across the GTA and Canada.

The opening coincided with a new Economic Impact Study released recently from EY on behalf of Microsoft. It found Microsoft and its ecosystem, which includes more than 15,000 partners and cloud infrastructure, accounts for nearly 300,000 Canadian jobs and contributes more than $37 billion to Canada’s GDP. In addition, through the collaboration with the Digital Technology Supercluster, Microsoft has supported 30 projects that are currently valued at $190 million, boosting innovation and industry growth across Canada, the release states.

“The official opening of Microsoft’s new downtown headquarters is the next milestone in our city’s continued growth as one the leading technology hubs in North America,” said John Tory, mayor of Toronto, in a statement. “We’re so pleased to see this new Microsoft office opening. It will mean more innovation across Toronto’s world class network of universities, start-ups and incubators – all of which will help us continue our strong economic recovery from the pandemic.”