Microsoft pumps huge sums into AI data centers with Blackrock and Abu Dhabi
First 30 billion, then 100 billion US dollars in total capital – That's how much money an alliance led by Microsoft wants to invest in AI supercomputers.
Not a real data center and not one that would live up to Microsoft's announcement in terms of size. New supercomputers are to be gigantic.
(Image: IM Imagery/Shutterstock.com)
The race for the highest investment sums in artificial intelligence continues. Microsoft wants to be at the forefront, but apparently does not want to finance the fun alone. To this end, the company is founding the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP), in which three investors are initially participating.
These are the investment company Blackrock, the infrastructure fund Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and the state investment company MGX from Abu Dhabi. The breakdown is unclear, but together they want to put up a lot of money: Initially – so probably over the coming years – the partners wish to tap into 30 billion US dollars in private equity from investors, asset owners and companies. This in turn should "mobilize a total investment potential of up to 100 billion US dollars, if debt financing is included."
AI supercomputers and power plants
GAIIP wants to use the money to build AI data centers and invest in energy infrastructure. This means building supercomputers with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of computing accelerators that can train AI algorithms and run them in the cloud. The companies are also likely to push ahead with the construction of power plants and possibly solar and wind farms.
Of course, an announcement about AI hardware of this magnitude cannot go online without Nvidia: Nvidia gets an honorary mention that the company supports the venture. However, there is no direct involvement.
Microsoft & Co. buy accelerators from Nvidia, but keep systems with hardware from other manufacturers open. GAIIP supports an open architecture and a broad ecosystem and offers "unrestricted access on a non-exclusive basis to a wide range of partners and companies", it says.
Most of the money is to flow into US locations; the rest into partner countries in the USA.
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