Azure is Microsoft’s cloud platform, competing with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud as one of the largest in the world. Its data centres power everything from enterprise software to artificial intelligence projects. Azure has been central to government and military contracts, including Project Nimbus in Israel, which provides AI and surveillance tools directly to the Israeli government and military. Environmental watchdogs have also highlighted the immense energy demands and water consumption of Azure’s global data centres, raising concerns about its role in climate degradation. Azure is a core driver of Microsoft’s complicity in both ecological harm and human rights abuses.
Microsoft receives a High Impact rating because it provides vital infrastructure that powers Israeli government surveillance systems, biometric tracking, and military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. Unlike consumer-oriented firms, Microsoft builds the backbone of apartheid architecture through AI, cloud, and software systems deployed by Israeli authorities. The company’s disregard for internal dissent and continued partnership despite evidence of human rights abuses further cements its alignment with occupation policies.