- Microsoft shares rose pre-market on talks with AI startup Anthropic over Maia AI chips
- Anthropic is considering using Microsoft's custom AI chips for additional computing power
- Discussions are early stage and may not lead to a final agreement
Microsoft shares rose in pre-market trade on Thursday after a report by The Information said AI startup Anthropic is in talks to rent servers powered by the tech giant's in-house Maia AI chips for handling complex workloads.
According to the report, Anthropic is exploring the use of Microsoft's custom-built AI chips to secure additional computing power for its Claude models. The discussions are still at an early stage and may not necessarily result in a final agreement.
However, after the Wall Street opened, Microsofit's scrip edged lower. At 9:53 am EST, the shares were trading 0.24% down at $419.16 apiece.
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If the partnership materialises, it would mark a significant boost for Microsoft's ambitions to compete with rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in the AI infrastructure space by offering an alternative to Nvidia's dominant AI hardware.
The Maia chips are reportedly designed to run existing AI models more efficiently than Nvidia processors, though they are not intended for training new models. For Anthropic, the move could provide greater flexibility in running its AI systems and help shape future chip designs suited to its requirements.
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