The AI Shift for Real: Microsoft Sweden’s CEO on Innovation, Investment, and the Future

The technological shift we’re in the midst of is unlike anything we’ve seen before. AI is transforming how companies are run, how people work, and how societies take shape. At the same time, we need leadership that not only understands the technology – but sees the human being behind it.

In this episode of Tech Royale, we meet Sophia Wikander, CEO of Microsoft Sweden. She is steering the company through a historic transformation, where Microsoft is investing SEK 33.7 billion in Swedish AI infrastructure, training a quarter of a million Swedes in AI skills, and building the data centers of the future.

We talk about:

How to lead a technology shift that transforms both the economy and working life
Why what we’re seeing now is a truly democratic change – where AI becomes accessible to everyone, not just a privileged few
How Microsoft tackles the climate challenge as data center expansion accelerates
Why cybersecurity is no longer about walls, but about patterns and behaviors
How leadership evolves when AI becomes a real colleague in the meeting room
And why Sweden risks losing momentum in its digital development

A conversation about the future, responsibility, and opportunities – in a time where innovation moves faster than anyone can write the rulebook. As always, Tech Royale is hosted by Robin Askelöf, CMO at HiQ