ZURICH, June 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT ) will

invest $400 million in Switzerland, the company said on Monday,

with the money going towards developing its cloud computing and

artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The U.S. tech company announced the investment at a meeting

of Swiss Economy Minister Guy Parmelin and its vice chair Brad

Smith in Bern.

Microsoft ( MSFT ), which employs 1,000 people in Switzerland, did

not give details on how many jobs the investment would create.

The money will be used to expand and upgrade its four

data centres near Geneva and Zurich, responding to increased

demand for AI and cloud computing services in Switzerland, it

said.

The expansion will serve existing and new customers and

allow data to remain within Swiss borders - an important

requirement for sectors like healthcare, finance and government.

Microsoft ( MSFT ) will also expand its partnership work with

small and medium-sized companies and step up training efforts to

help people use AI and digital tools.

"Switzerland has created one of the world's leading

innovation ecosystems, blending world-class research with

real-world applications," Smith said in a statement.