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Microsoft Adjusts Terms with OpenAI Amidst Massive AI Investment Push

Amos Simanungkalit · 22 Jan 202517.5K 閱讀

Image Credit: Reuters

Microsoft (MSFT) announced on Tuesday that it has revised key terms of its agreement with OpenAI following the ChatGPT creator's collaboration with Oracle (ORCL) and Japan’s SoftBank Group to establish up to $500 billion worth of new AI data centers in the United States. The venture, known as “Stargate,” was unveiled at the White House, with President Donald Trump highlighting the initiative as a strategic effort to maintain U.S. dominance in the global AI race, leveraging Nvidia (NVDA) chips.

Microsoft, which has held an exclusive arrangement with OpenAI since 2019 to develop new computing infrastructure for the AI firm, confirmed via a blog post that it has granted OpenAI the flexibility to build additional capacity, particularly for research and model training. This change enabled OpenAI to collaborate with Oracle on the Stargate project.

According to a source familiar with the agreement, Stargate will operate as a newly formed entity in which OpenAI will hold equity, governance rights, and operational control. The joint venture will have its own CEO and a separate board of directors appointed by the founding members. Other investors, including the United Arab Emirates-based firm MGX, are also involved. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son will serve as chairman of Stargate’s board, according to a statement from OpenAI shared on social media.

Microsoft, Nvidia, and Arm will serve as “technology partners” for the venture but will not participate as equity investors. Microsoft retains exclusivity over OpenAI’s application programming interfaces (APIs), which remain the primary revenue source for OpenAI’s services. As a result, Oracle will not host OpenAI’s key revenue-generating operations.

In a statement, Microsoft emphasized that its core partnership elements with OpenAI remain intact under the current contract, which extends through 2030. This includes continued access to OpenAI’s intellectual property, mutual revenue-sharing agreements, and exclusivity on APIs.

Additionally, Microsoft noted that OpenAI recently committed to a significant investment in Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, which will continue to support OpenAI’s product development and model training needs. Oracle declined to comment on Microsoft’s statements.