“We’re the first cloud to bring up an NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 system for validation, another big step in building the next generation of AI infrastructure with NVIDIA,” Nadella said in a post on X Friday afternoon.

Microsoft’s long-time partnership with Nvidia has allowed the company to better implement successive generations of their hardware in its data centers.

“Microsoft has years of market-proven experience in designing and deploying scalable AI infrastructure that evolves with every major advancement of AI technology,” said Rani Borkar, Microsoft’s president of Azure Hardware Systems. “In lockstep with each successive generation of NVIDIA’s accelerated compute infrastructure, Microsoft rapidly integrates NVIDIA’s innovations and delivers them at scale.”

“The NVIDIA Rubin platform marks a major step forward in accelerated computing, and Azure’s AI data centers and superfactories are already engineered to take full advantage,” Borkar added. “Years of co-design with NVIDIA across interconnects, memory systems, thermals, packaging, and rack-scale architecture means Rubin integrates directly into Azure’s platform without rework.”

Although Microsoft said it is the first to bring the Vera Rubin up for validation, multiple cloud providers are expected to deploy the technology in 2026. This includes Amazon Web Services (AMZN), CoreWeave (CRWV), Google (GOOG)(GOOGL), Nebius (NBIS), and Oracle (ORCL).

Each Vera Rubin NVL72 rack provides up to 3.6 exaflops of performance, which is about five times more than the GB200-based systems, according to Nvidia. Each rack combines 72 GPUs and 36 CPUs connected through sixth-generation NVLink, which provides 260 terabytes per second of bandwidth.

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Additionally, looking towards next week, industry players such as Meta Platforms (META) and Merck & Co. (MRK) will see the ex-dividend dates for their upcoming dividend payments.

See a breakdown below of some of the highlights of this week, along with some upcoming activity on the dividend front.

Dividend Increases

Here are some companies that have announced a dividend increase in the past week:

General Dynamics (GD)

• Dividend declared: March 9
• New dividend amount: $1.59
• Previous amount: $1.50
• Increase: 6%

Colgate-Palmolive (CL)

• Dividend declared: March 12
• New dividend amount: $0.53
• Previous amount: $0.52
• Increase: 1.9%

Applied Materials (AMAT)

• Dividend declared: March 13
• New dividend amount: $0.53
• Previous amount: $0.46
• Increase: 15.2%

Dividend Declarations

Here are some companies that have announced a dividend in the past week:

Microsoft (MSFT)

• Dividend declared: March 10
• Dividend amount: $0.91

Target (TGT)

• Dividend declared: March 11
• Dividend amount: $1.14

NXP Semiconductors (NXPI)

• Dividend declared: March 12
• Dividend amount: $1.014

Kroger (KR)

• Dividend declared: March 12
• Dividend amount: $0.35

Upcoming Dividend Calendar

Here are some companies that have an ex-dividend date coming next week:

AIG (AIG)

• Ex-dividend date: March 16
• Payout date: March 30

Meta Platforms (META)

• Ex-dividend date: March 16
• Payout date: March 26

Merck & Co. (MRK)

• Ex-dividend date: March 11
• Payout date: April 7

Kohl’s Corp (KSS)

• Ex-dividend date: March 18
• Payout date: April 1

Additional Dividend Information

For investors looking to gain further access to the dividend space, listed below are some popular dividend-focused ETFs that can be further analyzed:

Dividend ETFs: (VIG), (SCHD), (VYM), (DGRO), (SDY), (DVY), (IDV), (DGRW), (NOBL), (HDV), (RDVY), (VIGI), and (SDVY).

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Here are the four stocks to watch on the day:

Eli Lilly (LLY) edged down 0.11% in premarket trade after announcing the submission of a marketing application for its experimental weight loss drug, orforglipron, in China. The Indiana-based drugmaker also revealed plans to invest $3 billion in the country over the next decade to expand its supply chain capacity there. A major component of the investment is building local production capacity for its pipeline, including orforglipron.

NIO (NIO) slipped 1.9% in premarket trading despite receiving an upgrade from Nomura following the Chinese electric vehicle maker’s latest earnings report. Analysts Joel Ying and Ethan Zhang pointed to an encouraging outlook and expect current business momentum to continue. The firm noted clear improvement in NIO’s financial performance and shipment momentum over the past two quarters, suggesting the company is finally moving into a healthier business cycle.

Microsoft (MSFT) rose 0.2% before the opening bell after backing Anthropic’s lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order on the Pentagon’s blacklisting of the AI startup. In an amicus brief filed this week, Microsoft wrote that as an Anthropic partner, it is directly impacted by the Department of War’s designation that Anthropic presents a supply chain risk to national security. The company said a restraining order would allow time for an orderly resolution of the dispute.

Ford (F) ticked up 0.1% in premarket trade following the unveiling of Ford Pro AI, an intelligent fleet assistant for its commercial subscription customers. The tool is designed to help fleet managers increase efficiencies, identify vehicles that need servicing, and monitor irregular driving patterns that could drive up fuel costs. Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, Ford Pro AI is part of the company’s efforts to boost revenue in its Pro commercial business, a crucial area of growth for the Detroit automaker.

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“Across Anthropic’s entire business, and adjusting for how likely any given customer is to take a maximal reading, the government’s actions could reduce Anthropic’s 2026 revenue by multiple billions of dollars,” said Rao in a filing.

Anthropic has filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of War after the department dropped its contract with the AI startup and labeled it a “supply-chain risk” due to ideological differences.

Last month, Anthropic — which is backed by Amazon (AMZN) and Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google — had rejected the Department of War’s demand for unrestricted access to its AI models. U.S. agencies, including the departments of State, Treasury, and Health and Human Services, are going to stop the use of Anthropic’s AI products, joining the Pentagon in switching to rivals like OpenAI under the new White House order.

“If the government’s actions are allowed to stand, and if the ripple effect described above comes to pass, it would be almost impossible to reverse,” said Rao.

Rao noted that as far as customers adopt a narrow reading — wherethe government’s actions are understood to prohibit only the use of Claude in work performed for the Department — the company estimates that hundreds of millions of 2026 revenue are at risk.

Rao added that Anthropic could lose 50% to 100% in revenue from defense contractors and others with dependence on the Defense Department.

Meanwhile, Anthropic’s Chief Commercial Officer Paul Smith said in a separate filing that if the government’s actions are allowed to stand, it will have significant consequences on Anthropic’s business partnerships.

Smith said that one partner, which has a multi-million-dollar annual contract, immediately switched from Claude to a competing generative AI model for a deployment by their end customer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“That switch instantly eliminated an anticipated revenue pipeline worth more than one hundred million dollars,” said Smith.

Smith cited another example, noting the company’s negotiations with three leading financial services institutions have been impacted since the government’s actions, one of which is valued at $100M and had been on the verge of closing.

He added that two of the other firms have made clear that they cannot close their anticipated deals, valued together at over $80M, unless they get newly requested provisions allowing for unilateral contract termination.

In addition, Smith said that Anthropic has received inquiries from over 100 enterprise customers “expressing deep fear, confusion, and doubt about Anthropic and the repercussions of associating with our company.”

Last week it was reported that Microsoft (MSFT), Google, and Amazon (AMZN) have confirmed that they will keep Anthropic’s AI technology embedded in their products for clients, excluding the U.S. Department of War.

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“We do not believe this action is legally sound, and we see no choice but to challenge it in court,” said Amodei in a blog post on Thursday.

Anthropic said the company received a letter from the Department of War confirming that it has been designated as a supply chain risk to America’s national security.

Amodei said that the language used by the Department of War in the letter matches the company’s statement on Feb. 27 that the majority of its customers are unaffected by a supply chain risk designation.

“With respect to our customers, it plainly applies only to the use of Claude by customers as a direct part of contracts with the Department of War, not all use of Claude by customers who have such contracts,” said Amodei.

The CEO noted that the Department’s letter has a narrow scope, and this is because the relevant statute (10 USC 3252) is narrow too. He added that it exists to protect the government rather than to punish a supplier.

Amodei said the company has been having productive conversations with the Department of War over the last several days, both about ways it could serve the Department that adhere to its two exceptions and ways for it to ensure a smooth transition if that is not possible.

However, Emil Michael, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, who had been negotiating over the past several weeks with the company, said in a post on X on Thursday that there were no further discussions.

“I want to end all speculation: there is no active @DeptofWar negotiation with @AnthropicAI,” said Michael in the post.

On Thursday, Amodei also apologized for comments in an internal memo that surfaced on Wednesday. In the memo, reported by The Information, Amodei accused competitor OpenAI (OPENAI) of acting opportunistically and sacrificing safeguards in a Pentagon deal. Last week, OpenAI signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of War to deploy its models within a classified government network. The move came on the heels of President Donald Trump ordering federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s AI tools, canceling more than $200M in contracts.

In the memo, Amodei also said that he believes the reason the administration dislikes Anthropic is that the company had not donated to Trump or backed his AI policies, Bloomberg News reported.

“I also want to apologize directly for a post internal to the company that was leaked to the press yesterday. Anthropic did not leak this post nor direct anyone else to do so—it is not in our interest to escalate this situation,” said Amodei on Thursday.

He added that the particular post was written within a few hours of the President’s Truth Social post announcing Anthropic would be removed from all federal systems, the Secretary of War’s X post announcing the supply chain risk designation, and the announcement of a deal between the Pentagon and OpenAI.

“It was a difficult day for the company, and I apologize for the tone of the post. It does not reflect my careful or considered views. It was also written six days ago, and is an out-of-date assessment of the current situation,” said Amodei.

Last week, Anthropic — which is backed by Amazon (AMZN) and Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google — had rejected the Department of War’s demand for unrestricted access to its AI models.

U.S. agencies, including the departments of State, Treasury, and Health and Human Services, are going to stop the use of Anthropic’s AI products, joining the Pentagon in switching to rivals like OpenAI under the new White House order.

On Thursday, it was reported that Microsoft (MSFT) would keep Anthropic’s AI technology embedded in its products for clients, excluding the U.S. Department of War.

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This marks a stark departure from the shopping feature OpenAI introduced last September, which allowed ChatGPT users to purchase directly from certain companies, such as Etsy (ETSY) and Shopify (SHOP), without leaving the app.

Now, instead of making purchases directly from product listings within ChatGPT, checkout will occur in apps that plug into ChatGPT, the report said.

“We’re evolving how we approach commerce in ChatGPT to better meet merchants and users where they are,” said an OpenAI spokesperson, according to the report. “Instant Checkout is moving to Apps, where purchases can happen more seamlessly. We appreciate our partners for learning with us and look forward to sharing more as we continue building in this area.”

Apparently, chatbot shopping on a large scale has presented challenges. For example, merchant details such as pricing and availability need to be constantly updated within the chatbot, the report said. What’s more, safeguards against fraudulent or erroneous purchases also become more complicated within an AI framework.

Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify, said earlier this week that the holdup in expanded AI shopping was mainly due to AI companies needing to hammer out the details, the report said.

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Analysts led by Dan Ives said that the Trump Administration held a meeting at the White House with companies including Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google, Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), xAI (X.AI), OpenAI (OPENAI), and Oracle (ORCL), where the companies signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.

The White House said on Wednesday that under the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, companies agree to protect American consumers from price hikes due to data center energy and infrastructure requirements and lower electricity costs for consumers in the long term.

This includes: building, bringing, or buying a new power supply; paying for new power delivery infrastructure upgrades; paying whether they use the power or not; investing in local job creation and workforce development; and contributing to electric and community resilience.

“President Trump is calling on the leading United States hyperscalers and AI companies to build, bring, or buy all of the energy needed for building and operating data centers, paying the full cost of their energy and infrastructure, no matter what, said the White House on Wednesday.

“While this initiative alleviates a major headache from the Trump administration heading into a critical mid-term election cycle, this creates a significant bottleneck with big tech organizations looking to build out large data center footprints quickly and without impacting the bottom-line potentially slowing down data center buildouts with the US entering a crucial time of the AI Revolution as the US faces significant energy shortages/issues to fuel data center buildouts,” said Ives and his team.

The analysts added that while the Trump administration has embraced the AI Revolution with open arms as a key pillar of economic growth and a pillar of national security, the cost of living has been incrementally on the rise. Residential prices are growing 7% year-over-year on average nationwide in 2025, with these prices previously expected to rise 6% year-over-year through 2027 as data center demand grows more rapidly than power supply, according to the analysts.

Ives and his team said that many communities have rejected the premise of data centers being built across their towns. This is because of the rising costs being passed onto American households to finance these long-term projects while strengthening the grid with these organizations building their own electricity capacity.

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OpenAI’s non-profit entity, which also has a stake in the for-profit business, might plan to sell billions

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“Broadly, the formal announcement of OpenAI’s $110B fundraise at a reported $730B pre-money valuation ($840B post-money) should be incrementally positive for Microsoft and Oracle, even if it’s been well telegraphed from media reports in recent months,” BNP analyst Stefan Slowinski wrote in a note to clients. “With fresh capital now secured, OpenAI appears well positioned to fund both its $250B compute contract with Microsoft and $300B compute contract with Oracle.”

Slowinski added that OpenAI’s updated cash burn forecasts imply roughly $180B in funding needs through 2030, which includes the $110B raised from Nvidia (NVDA), Amazon (AMZN), and SoftBank (SFTBY). “As a result, with additional non-strategic investors layering in alongside the initial $110B raise, OpenAI could ultimately be most of the way towards addressing its cumulative cash needs,” Slowinski explained.

He has a Buy rating on Microsoft and Oracle and respective price targets of $659 and $290.

Beyond the ability to pay its bills, OpenAI’s funding round has other implications for Microsoft and Oracle, Slowinski said.

For Microsoft, the analyst believes the Satya Nadella-led company will report a “significant gain” in the fiscal third-quarter as its stake in OpenAI is likely to be valued higher. Assuming Microsoft is diluted with this funding round, he believes Microsoft owns roughly $200B worth of OpenAI, or about 7% of Microsoft’s market cap. “Removing this from Microsoft’s valuation makes the current multiple that much more attractive,” he explained.

For Oracle, Slowinski said the debate now moves on to whether Oracle can actually execute its contracts. “While we would have initially assumed that closing the raise would be viewed positively for Oracle, we worry the debate will simply shift to the ROI of AI and whether Oracle’s capital investments will ultimately deliver an attractive return, especially as OpenAI appears to be increasingly diversifying its cloud compute stack,” the analyst explained.

Other questions may include whether OpenAI needs Oracle Cloud Infrastructure after Oracle delivers on its initial contract, given the increased commitment between OpenAI and Amazon Web Services, Slowinski said.

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