Currently, tech giants such as Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, and Google are engaged in a fierce competition in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the latest report from Omdia, Microsoft has demonstrated significant purchasing power, becoming the largest buyer of NVIDIA AI chips. It is reported that Microsoft disclosed through the Financial Times that it has purchased 485,000 NVIDIA Hopper chips, which account for 20% of NVIDIA's total revenue last year.
In comparison, Meta ranks second among NVIDIA's buyers, having purchased 224,000 chips last year, less than half of what Microsoft bought. As a leading manufacturer of GPUs, NVIDIA's products, with their exceptional performance in AI, provide strong support for Microsoft's AI strategy. Statistics show that in 2024, NVIDIA's GPUs will account for 43% of global AI spending, with Microsoft's contribution being particularly significant, investing up to $31 billion in data centers.
This year, the field of generative AI has seen rapid development, with top tech companies like Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic actively seeking to lead in this area. However, reports suggest that the lack of high-quality training data is becoming a bottleneck for AI model development. In response, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt have expressed disagreement, stating there is no evidence that AI development is being hindered by scaling laws.
Advanced chips, as a core element of AI development, provide the necessary computational power, efficiency, and scalability to push AI to new heights. Consequently, the demand for AI chips has reached unprecedented levels, putting significant market pressure on NVIDIA. Amidst this AI boom, NVIDIA's market value has soared, making it the world's most valuable company, with a market capitalization exceeding $3 trillion, surpassing even Microsoft and Apple.
Microsoft's investment in AI is substantial. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced a collaboration with OpenAI, planning to invest up to $100 billion in a new project called Stargate. This ambitious project aims to help Microsoft reduce its dependency on the world's most profitable semiconductor chip brands. Additionally, Microsoft is developing its own chip named Maia and plans to deploy 200,000 units.
The Stargate project not only strengthens Microsoft's AI efforts in the gaming sector but also provides the necessary computational power to leverage advanced AI features for improving graphics rendering, super-resolution, cloud gaming, and in-game functionalities. The next generation of NVIDIA GPUs is expected to be equipped with neural rendering capabilities, which will play a crucial role in real-time generation of high-quality graphics. Furthermore, AI will further advance super-resolution technology, enabling low-quality images and videos to be enhanced in resolution while maintaining quality.
