- Microsoft is no longer the only OpenAI cloud infrastructure provider
- Microsoft, which remains the largest investor in OpenAI, retains the right of first refusal
- Project Stargate launched by OpenAI for US infrastructure
Microsoft has confirmed that it is no longer the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, despite plans to remain the AI startup’s primary data center infrastructure provider.
The company confirmed in a statement that there would be “changes in exclusivity on new capacity,” but that it would have the right of first refusal.
As part of the restructuring, OpenAI has partnered with SoftBank of Japan and Oracle of the United States, among others, to meet its computing needs.
OpenAI divides its infrastructure between Microsoft and others
Opening the doors to other providers will mark a considerable change since the two companies partnered in 2019, more than three years before public preview of ChatGPT began.
“Key elements of our partnership remain in place for the life of our contract through 2030, and our access to OpenAI intellectual property, our revenue sharing agreements, and our exclusivity on OpenAI APIs will continue,” Microsoft confirmed.
This means that for at least another five years, Microsoft will have the rights to OpenAI models to power its Copilot AI tools. It also means that the OpenAI API will be exclusive to Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform.
Following an investment of around $14 billion in the AI company, Microsoft confirmed that it remains “a major investor in OpenAI.”
He also recalled that OpenAI had recently made a “major new commitment to Azure” that will continue to support all of its products, as well as training.
On the same day, OpenAI announced details of its Stargate project, designed to support a new AI infrastructure in the US. SoftBank and OpenAI will be lead partners on the project, with Oracle and MGX also listed as equity funders (note the Microsoft omission).
Stargate’s initial technology partners will include Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle and OpenAI.
The project will conclude with 500 billion dollars in investments over four years; $100 billion has already been allocated to Stargate.
