Microsoft 365 Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Shows

General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo
General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo
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Microsoft 365 Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Shows

General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo
General view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

Microsoft's (MSFT.O), suite of productivity software was down for more than 16,000 users on Thursday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.

This comes nearly two months after a faulty software update from cybersecurity services provider CrowdStrike (CRWD.O), affected nearly 8.5 million Windows devices, crippling operations across industries ranging from airlines and banks to healthcare, according to Reuters.

"We're investigating an issue where users may be unable to access multiple Microsoft 365 services," the Windows parent said in a post on X.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to queries on the nature and cause of the outage and when it expects a recovery, but its Azure cloud platform said on X it was probing customer reports of a potential issue connecting Microsoft's services from AT&T (T.N), networks.

The telecom operator did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After the incident reports peaked at around 23,000 for Microsoft 365, there were signs of the issues ebbing. Some users on social media said Microsoft's services were up and running.

About 4,000 users reported issues with AT&T services and more than 16,500 said they had trouble accessing Microsoft's 365 products, as of 9:12 A.M. ET, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources, including user-submitted errors on its platform.



Saudi SDAIA Signs MoU with IBM to Establish AI Center of Excellence 

The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)
The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)
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Saudi SDAIA Signs MoU with IBM to Establish AI Center of Excellence 

The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)
The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) signed on Tuesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the global company IBM during the third Global AI Summit (GAIN) underway in Riyadh.

CEO of the National Center for AI Dr. Yaser bin Mohammed Al-Onaizan, representing SDAIA, and the General Manager of IBM Saudi Arabia, Fahad Alanazi, finalized the agreement.

The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks.

It also includes the launch of the ALLaM Challenge, which seeks to develop innovative solutions and stimulate innovation by developing and enhancing large language models (LLM) in Arabic using the ALLaM model.

This partnership is expected to contribute to the exchange of expertise and enhancement of national capabilities, supporting Saudi Vision 2030 goals of building a knowledge-based society and reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a global hub for advanced technologies.

This collaboration is part of SDAIA's efforts to position the ALLaM model as the leading generative Arabic model on global platforms, according to the Arabic MMLU benchmark. This initiative aims to empower developers and users of Arabic-language AI solutions in the Kingdom and worldwide.

SDAIA and IBM have previously announced that ALLaM will be hosted on the IBM Watsonx platform and the Saudi government cloud "DEEM". This initiative will provide entities with advanced and unique services, contributing to the advancement of technological innovation in the region.

SDAIA and IBM's collaboration also includes establishing a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies and launching the ALLaM Challenge, which aims to discover exceptional talents and expertise in AI.