45 pointsby speckx4 hours ago5 comments
  • DeepLogin4 hours ago
    How much would Microsoft save by switching to open source AI?

    I am asking because they seem to be looking forward to this as soon as possible.

    Relevant links:

    - https://news.microsoft.com/source/2026/07/21/microsoft-and-m...

    - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/corporate-responsibility/top...

    • kylecazar4 hours ago
      This article is about OpenAI as a significant MSFT customer.

      "it shows that GPU and infrastructure consumption specifically from OpenAI still drives between 65 to 70% of Microsoft's total AI business"

      • DeepLogin4 hours ago
        I feel lost here.

        Isn't Microsoft Copilot based on OpenAI AI models like ChatGPT?

        Does the disclosure that is refranced in the Bloomberg analysis that the article is based on take this in consideration?

        • kylecazar4 hours ago
          Yeah, the arrangement between OpenAI and MSFT is complex and a pretty good example of the circular deals that are becoming more common.

          Microsoft was an early large investor in OpenAI. They get priority access to the models, and can use them in their products for the next 8 years as a result. They still use OAI for most (Copilot etc), but incorporate others these days as well. Not open source like you suggest AFAIK, but their own proprietary models.

          OpenAI builds and serves their models on Azure (partly), and pays MSFT to do so. This used to be a contractual obligation, but no longer is. This article is about just how important that payment is/was to MSFT's AI business, implying it would be devastating if OpenAI chose to wind down their Azure spend and go with another provider.

          That's my understanding of the situation.

    • giancarlostoro4 hours ago
      Microsoft was the exclusive way to have your own copy of GPT in the cloud for a few years, and they have been the primary host for OpenAI, including their training infrastructure early on.
  • jadbox4 hours ago
    How does Microsoft make revenue from openai when it doesn't get to use those profits as an org?
  • torh3 hours ago
    Ed Zitron wrote about this (at length) earlier this week: <https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-demand-bubble/#analysts-e...>
  • 2OEH8eoCRo04 hours ago
    And where did OpenAI get that money to spend?