Oracle to Launch Two Public Cloud Regions in Morocco

Oracle has unveiled plans to open two new Oracle Cloud Regions in Morocco, aiming to provide enterprise cloud services to organizations across Africa. These new regions will enable Oracle customers and partners to transfer mission-critical workloads from their data centers to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), while ensuring compliance with local regulations. This expansion will allow businesses to modernize their applications and innovate using AI, data, and analytics.

The new public cloud regions, located in Casablanca and Settat, highlight Oracle’s dedication to Africa and will support the digital transformation of enterprises, startups, universities, and investors in Morocco and the surrounding region.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by key figures including Mr. Mohcine Jazouli, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Investment, Convergence, and Evaluation of Public Policies; Ms. Ghita Mezzour, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform; Mr. Ali Seddiki, General Director of the Moroccan Agency for the Development of Investments and Exports (AMDIE); and Oracle leaders during GITEX Africa 2024.

“The opening of Oracle’s public cloud in Morocco will accelerate digital transformation throughout the region,” stated Ms. Ghita Mezzour. “This strategic expansion with a hyperscaler like Oracle positions Morocco as a unique player in the region, fostering skills development and growth opportunities.”

Richard Smith, Executive Vice President of Technology for EMEA at Oracle, emphasized Morocco’s strategic position. “As one of Africa’s largest economies with strong ties to West Africa, Maghreb, and Europe, Morocco offers unique growth opportunities for businesses looking to expand using the latest digital technologies,” he said. “The new Oracle Cloud Regions will provide enterprise-grade cloud capabilities to help organizations deliver new solutions, build resilience, and explore new markets, supporting the Moroccan government’s efforts to modernize public services.”

Mr. Mohcine Jazouli added, “We welcome Oracle’s investment in Morocco, highlighting the trust in Moroccan expertise and talent. This initiative showcases our commitment to technological advancement and positions Morocco prominently on the international digital stage.”

OCI Provides Cutting-Edge AI and Resilient Cloud Infrastructure

Oracle stands out as the only hyperscaler offering AI and a comprehensive suite of over 100 cloud services across dedicated, public, and hybrid cloud environments worldwide. The new Moroccan regions will include Oracle’s full suite of services, such as Oracle Autonomous Database, MySQL HeatWave Database Service, Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes, Oracle Cloud VMware Solution, OCI Generative AI service, and OCI AI Infrastructure.

OCI’s unique architecture allows Oracle to deploy dedicated cloud regions with hyperscale cloud services within customer data centers, and to launch more public cloud regions quickly with an optimal initial footprint, scaling as needed. This approach meets the diverse needs of countries and markets without compromising on cloud capabilities, ensuring consistent performance, SLAs, and global pricing.

With the new regions in Morocco, customers and partners will benefit from low-latency access to cloud services, enhancing business continuity and compliance with local data residency regulations. OCI’s sovereign AI capabilities also provide greater control over data and computing infrastructure, ensuring alignment with digital sovereignty frameworks.

Oracle’s Distributed Cloud Offers Enhanced Control and Flexibility

OCI’s distributed cloud offerings include:

– Dedicated Cloud: Customers can run all OCI services in their own data centers with OCI Dedicated Region. Partners can resell OCI services and customize the experience using Oracle Alloy. Oracle also operates separate government clouds for the U.S., UK, and Australia, and isolated cloud regions for U.S. national security.

– Hybrid Cloud: Key cloud services are delivered on-premises via Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer and Compute Cloud@Customer, with deployments in over 60 countries.

– Public Cloud: Hyperscale public cloud regions serve organizations of all sizes, including those needing strict EU sovereignty controls.

– Multicloud: Options like Oracle Database@Azure, MySQL HeatWave on AWS and Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Interconnect for Microsoft Azure enable customers to leverage capabilities across different clouds.