Microsoft's data centre pause fuels concerns

Sites in Indonesia, UK, Australia, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin affected

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Microsoft Corp. has pulled back on data centre projects around the world, suggesting the company is taking a harder look at its plans to build the server farms powering artificial intelligence and the cloud.

The software company has recently halted talks for, or delayed development of, sites in Indonesia, the UK, Australia, Illinois, North Dakota and Wisconsin, according to people familiar with the situation.