WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Microsoft said Wednesday it has launched a cloud service “region” in central Poland, the first large-scale data storage and processing hub of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe.

The cloud region, which is part of Microsoft's $1 billion IT transformation plan for Poland, consists of three separate physical locations around Warsaw.

Microsoft says it will give businesses fast and reliable access to cloud services, accelerating the digitization of the economy and strengthening resilience and data security.

Ralph Haupter, Microsoft's president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced the launch while attending the European Economic Congress in Katowice, southern Poland.

“The war in Ukraine has made us all acutely aware how very important cybersecurity is and protection against the flood of fake news and propaganda tricks that Russia excels in,” Morawiecki said to stress that Microsoft's state-of-the-art new service enhances cyberspace security.

Each of the three locations will house at least one data storage and processing center, built to comply with Poland's restrictive regulations on data storage. Poland is among the countries with the highest IT presence in its public sphere, with many services being available on the internet or through mobile devices.

The new datacenter region comes “in response to growing demand for high-performance computing and fast and reliable access to Microsoft Cloud services,” the IT giant said in a statement.

Morawiecki stressed it showed the investor’s confidence in Poland, after a 30-year presence here.

Microsoft said in a statement it was a “commitment to continue to support the country’s technological development of society, business and the economy.”