Microsoft outage exposes global reliance on tech providers

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Nov, 19:43 · Archive

A Microsoft outage disrupted services for banks, governments, sheriffs and pharmacies worldwide.

A Microsoft outage caused widespread disruption across the globe. The Financial Times reports that the impact affected users ranging from banks and governments to county sheriffs and pharmacies.

The incident has drawn attention to the world's reliance on just a handful of technology companies. When services like Outlook became unavailable, organisations dependent on the platform found their operations severely hampered, with users losing access to emails, calendars and meeting invitations.

The outage also raises broader questions about sustainability and digital dependence. Data centres that power cloud services consume enormous amounts of electricity. The International Energy Agency estimates that data centres consumed 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, around 1.5% of global demand, with projections that consumption could reach 945 terawatt-hours by 2030, largely driven by artificial intelligence and other digital services. Microsoft itself reported a 25% year-on-year rise in total emissions in 2025, primarily because of expanding data centres.

How it is being reported

• Microsoft outage exposes global reliance on core tech providersImpact of global incident affects users ranging from banks and governments to county sheriffs and pharmaciesFinancial Times · 13 Nov, 18:55
• What the Microsoft outage can teach us about the impacts of digital dependenceThe world’s reliance on just a handful of tech companies has hidden costsIndependent Tech · 13 Nov, 12:56

In this story: Microsoft · Financial Times · International Energy Agency · Turkey

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log