By Simply Wall St
Publication Date: 2026-02-02 16:23:00
- Microsoft has signed a reported $750 million, multi year Azure cloud deal with AI startup Perplexity, focused on advanced AI workloads.
- The company has also launched its Maia 200 AI inference chip, aimed at running large scale AI models on custom silicon.
- These moves come as Microsoft balances capacity commitments, concentration risk around major AI partners like OpenAI, and rising capital spending.
NasdaqGS:MSFT is leaning heavily into AI infrastructure at a time when its shares trade around $430.29 and longer term returns have been substantial, with gains of 71.6% over 3 years and 84.9% over 5 years. Shorter term, the stock has seen a 9.0% decline over the past month and 8.5% over the past week, while still up 5.5% over the past year. This provides useful context for the scale and timing of this AI push.
For you as an investor, the Perplexity deal and the Maia 200 launch highlight how Microsoft is concentrating resources into AI capacity, custom chips, and a handful of large partnerships. The key questions now center on how efficiently this spending converts into durable cloud demand, how concentration around players like OpenAI evolves, and what that might mean for the risk and reward profile of NasdaqGS:MSFT over time.
Stay updated on the most important news stories for Microsoft by adding it to your watchlist or portfolio. Alternatively, explore our Community to discover new perspectives on Microsoft.
