Microsoft and Fujitsu reportedly plan to share data centres around the world to play catch up with other cloud computing vendors such as Google and Salesforce.com.

Redmond is expected to mix its software with Fujitsu’s customer service offerings, according to Nikkei business daily (via Reuters).

Fujitsu, which has around 90 data centres based in 16 countries across the globe, will begin hosting MS cloud services later this year at the company’s Tatebayashi hub in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.

It’s understood that sites in the US, UK and Singapore have also been set aside by Fujitsu to house some of Microsoft’s cloud computing services.

Nikkei said that the two firms were mulling joint investment in the data centres that could cost tens of billions of yen.

Last year Microsoft cut the ribbon on its own data centres in Chicago and Dublin, but - if the report is accurate - the software giant is presumably trying to gain traction among the Japanese biz community too.

Such a deal might come in handy, after we reported this morning that Microsoft's $14bn server and tools unit had undergone a major shake-up in an effort to squeeze money from the company's Azure cloud product, which launched in January this year. ®