Is Microsoft’s (MSFT) AI Spending Finally Paying Off?

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is up about 12% so far this year, and investors are nervous about whether the stock can keep growing. The company has spent heavily on AI data centers, and many want proof that the spending turns into sales. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management is one of Microsoft’s largest hedge fund holders, with a stake worth about $9.9 billion, or 2.96% of its portfolio, after raising it by 3% in the second quarter. Microsoft ranks fourth in our list of his 10 best AI stocks. Click here to see the other nine picks.

Bulls say the proof is already in the numbers. Azure, the cloud unit, grew 43% in the latest quarter, up from 39% in the quarter before. Customers want more AI cloud computing power than Microsoft can supply, and management said the new capacity it added was used almost right away. Wondering if Azure’s growth can cover the capex bill? Read our look at how Microsoft can balance AI growth with capex risk. The backlog of signed cloud work…