LONDON: The Israel Defense Forces’ reliance on Microsoft cloud technology deepened at the height of its invasion of Gaza, an investigation has revealed.
Leaked documents viewed by The Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call show that Microsoft’s business ties with the IDF surged after Oct. 7, 2023.
The US tech giant supplied the IDF with greater computing and cloud services, artificial-intelligence technologies and thousands of hours of technical support.
The Gaza offensive brought new demands for data storage and computing power, with several sources in the Israeli defense community saying the IDF had become dependent on Microsoft, Amazon and Google.
Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform was used by Israeli units across air, sea and ground forces to support combat and intelligence activities.
Staff from the tech giant also worked closely with members of Unit 8200, an IDF intelligence unit that develops cutting-edge espionage technology.
Microsoft’s technology was also used by the IDF to operate Rolling Stone, a system used to manage the population registry of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The system is capable of tracking the movement of its subjects.
Ofek, an Israeli air force unit, also used Microsoft services to develop “target banks.” The large databases included potential airstrike targets in Gaza, and were used by IDF personnel during the height of the bombing campaign.
Between October 2023 and June 2024, the Israeli Defense Ministry bought 19,000 hours of engineering support and consultancy services from Microsoft, which was awarded about $10 million in fees as a result of the sales.
The leaked documents reportedly show that the IDF’s average monthly consumption of Azure cloud services in the first six months of the war was 60 percent higher than in the four months preceding it.
The IDF also used technologies from Microsoft’s competitors. Google’s cloud division provided the Israeli military with access to AI-based services, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
Use of OpenAI’s GPT-4 also surged during the first six months of the war, though the service was made available through Microsoft’s Azure.
