Microsoft is planning to make Azure a game changer for software companies by selling it off in a way that gives them access to a huge amount of data.
The move is expected to generate $10 billion in revenue for the company this year, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The deal will see Microsoft buy Amazon Web Services from Amazon, which owns the company.
The move will create the world’s largest data center, a $1.9 billion facility at the company’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters that will serve as the core of Azure, the company said in a statement.
The announcement came as Microsoft’s chief financial officer, Bob McKeon, said that Azure has the potential to be the “biggest business disruption of the 21st century.”
Microsoft has previously said it would be interested in selling off its data centers to cloud providers and said it was “looking into all the options” for the future of its data center business.