Seeking Alpha’s roundup of statements, announcements, and remarks that could impact the technology sector.
- Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is aiming to use mostly its own chips in its data centers, which could reduce its reliance on those made by Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD).
The tech giant currently uses mostly Nvidia and AMD chips for its data centers, with a focus on picking the semiconductor with the best price performance per chip, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott said during an industry event, according to CNBC.
“We’re not religious about what the chips are. And … that has meant the best price performance solution has been Nvidia for years and years now,” Scott said. “We will literally entertain anything in order to ensure that we’ve got enough capacity to meet this demand.”
But Scott also confirmed that the company’s longer-term plan is to use primarily its own chips and design an entire data center system.
“It’s about the entire system design. It’s the networks and the cooling, and you want to be able to have the freedom to make the decisions that you need to make in order to really optimize your compute to the workload,” Scott added.
- Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has rolled out a Microsoft 365 bundle subscription that includes its AI chatbot Copilot Pro.
Called Microsoft 365 Premium, the new bundle will be priced at $19.99 per month and include the same features as its Microsoft 365 Family product, such as access to Office apps for six users.
“It’s really going to be our most powerful AI and productivity subscription for any individual,” said Gareth Oystryk, senior director of marketing for Copilot Pro and Microsoft 365, in an interview with The Verge. “It brings together our trusted collection of productivity apps with Copilot built-in, along with our highest Copilot usage limits and exclusive features.”
The Verge noted that Microsoft 365 Premium will cost the same as OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus product.
“When you look at the value you get with this plan at this price point, and you stack that against the competition, you’re going to find that the value is pretty undeniable,” Oystryk added.
Microsoft (MSFT) is a major investor in OpenAI.
- Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) has migrated its chips to Arm’s (NASDAQ:ARM) v9 architecture, which features improvements that allow chips to better handle tasks from AI chatbots and image generators, according to Reuters.
The move could help Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) chips better compete with those made by MediaTek (OTCPK:MDTK.F) and Apple (AAPL), which are both believed to use Arm v9 in their products, Reuters added.