Microsoft's cloud service faces temporary issues after Red Sea cable damage

Microsoft confirmed on Saturday that its Azure cloud platform experienced service issues linked to damage to several international subsea cables running through the Red Sea.

According to Microsoft’s official service status page, the outage began around 1:45 AM Eastern Time and primarily affected internet traffic flowing through the Middle East that originated in or was directed toward Asia and Europe. The company described the incident as a “service degradation,” noting that connectivity was rerouted, which may have caused slower-than-usual performance for some customers.

While Microsoft did not specify how the cables were damaged, its engineering teams have been working to reduce delays by tapping into alternative routes. “We’ll continue to provide daily updates, or sooner if conditions change,” the company wrote.

By Saturday evening, Microsoft’s status page indicated that no new Azure issues were being detected. However, it was unclear whether physical repairs to the subsea cables had been completed.

Azure, which launched in 2010, has grown into one of the largest global cloud providers, rivaling Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud. Microsoft reports that as of May 2025, more than 722 million users worldwide rely on Azure, with the service operating in over 60 regions and further expansion underway.

The damaged subsea infrastructure is part of a larger global effort by tech giants, including Microsoft and Meta, to expand internet resilience and capacity. In 2020, Microsoft also published research suggesting that undersea datacenters could offer long-term advantages in dealing with corrosion, climate fluctuations, and maintenance issues faced by traditional land-based facilities.

Despite Saturday’s brief disruption, other Microsoft services remained unaffected, and Azure traffic was largely restored through rerouting.