Billions spent on AI: Microsoft invests in AI wherever possible

Microsoft is now spending billions on AI. The development and research of artificial intelligence costs a lot of money. But Microsoft is prepared to invest this money. This is not surprising, as AI is currently the talk of the tech world. But where has Microsoft actually invested in AI? Let's get an overview.

OpenAI spends billions on AI

It all started more or less with an investment in the start-up OpenAI. The developer of ChatGPT triggered a huge hype around the topic of artificial intelligence with its text AI. Microsoft invested 10 billion US dollars in the company last year alone. Microsoft had already previously supported OpenAI with a financial injection.

This expenditure of billions of euros on AI by Microsoft is a thorn in the side of the authorities, so to speak, and it is suspected that antitrust law is being violated here. However, Microsoft denies this and also states that it does not own any shares in OpenAI and therefore has no say in the matter. A court decision is still pending. Microsoft will presumably continue to invest in OpenAI and increase its spending on AI by billions.

In 2028, Microsoft and OpenAI plan to jointly open a data center in the USA. The proud price tag for the project, dubbed "Stargate": 100 billion dollars!

Billions spent on AI in Germany, Europe and around the world

Microsoft is not only investing in artificial intelligence in the USA. Europe is an important location for Microsoft. Although Windows is the global market leader among operating systems, Apple's macOS is stronger competition in America than in Europe, where Mac notebooks are less widespread.

Microsoft plans to spend 3.2 billion euros to build data centers in Germany and drive forward the AI infrastructure.

Microsoft has so far invested 2 billion euros in the French start-up Mistral, which develops Large Language Models (LLMs). This makes Mistral the second company after OpenAI whose LLMs can be used on Microsoft Azure.

Microsoft is also investing 1.5 billion US dollars in G42, an Arab AI company. However, the deal goes beyond money and promotes Microsoft President Brad Smith to the board of G42. In addition, the AI developer will use Microsoft Azure for its AI services in future. Beneath the surface, this billion-euro expenditure on AI also has a political background: G42 is suspected of having supplied important US technology to Beijing. The company denies these allegations, of course. Allegedly, the US government encouraged Microsoft to conclude this deal, so to speak, so that the American side would have an insight into the company or a man in the company.

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