2023-01-28 05:07:50 Author: Lao Wang
Microsoft is pouring money into OpenAI again as part of an expanded partnership. The tech giant is making a “billion-dollar” investment that will lead to wider use of OpenAI’s technology, as well as stronger behind-the-scenes support. While the companies didn’t share specifics, Microsoft said you can expect “new categories of digital experiences,” including both consumer-facing and business-facing offerings. The developer-focused Azure OpenAI service will play a role.
The continued alliance will also see Microsoft ramp up its investment in supercomputers to accelerate OpenAI research. Azure will remain the sole cloud provider for OpenAI’s products, research and services. The exact size of the financial contribution is unclear, but a Bloomberg source says Microsoft will invest $10 billion “over a multi-year period.”
Microsoft first supported OpenAI in 2019 and will return in 2021. The New York Times notes that it has “quietly” invested an additional $2 billion since its initial round. Since their collaboration began, the two companies have grown closer. Building on the Azure service, Microsoft has rolled out features powered by OpenAI, including natural language programming and the DALL-E 2 graphic design tool. OpenAI uses Microsoft’s infrastructure to train some of its best-known systems, including the DALL-E 2 and the popular ChatGPT bot. ChatGPT will be coming to Azure soon.
Some rumored developments such as building ChatGPT into Bing were not mentioned. However, this expansion may help Microsoft seize a competitive advantage. Google reportedly sees ChatGPT as a threat to its search business and is believed to be devoting much of its attention to search chatbots and other artificial intelligence products, despite being reluctant to fully embrace the technology due to copyright concerns. Even if a deeper OpenAI partnership doesn’t improve Bing, Microsoft could benefit by forcing rivals like Google to change course. Return to Sohu to see more
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