While OpenAI Races To Build AI Data Centers, Nadella Reminds Us That Microsoft Already Has Them
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella just made a bold move in the AI race. While OpenAI races to build AI data centers, Nadella reminds us that Microsoft already has them — and they’re bigger, faster, and ready for the next wave of frontier AI.
Image Credits:Stephen Brashear / Getty Images
In a post shared Thursday, Nadella revealed a video of Microsoft’s first deployed massive AI system, what Nvidia calls an AI “factory.” He described it as the first of many such systems that will be rolled out across Azure’s global data centers to power OpenAI workloads.
Inside Microsoft’s AI Factory
Each AI system is powered by over 4,600 Nvidia GB300 rack computers running Blackwell Ultra GPUs, connected through Nvidia’s lightning-fast InfiniBand technology. This infrastructure delivers unmatched computing performance for advanced AI training and inference.
It’s worth noting that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had the foresight to dominate this space early — acquiring Mellanox for $6.9 billion in 2019 — securing the networking backbone that now drives the AI revolution.
Microsoft’s Massive AI Advantage
Microsoft says it plans to deploy hundreds of thousands of Blackwell Ultra GPUs worldwide. Beyond the impressive numbers, this announcement carries strategic weight.
The timing isn’t random — it comes right after OpenAI struck major data center deals with Nvidia and AMD, reportedly committing over $1 trillion to build its own AI infrastructure in 2025. But Nadella’s message is clear: Microsoft already has a head start.
OpenAI Builds — Microsoft Operates
As OpenAI races to build AI data centers, Microsoft reminds the world that its 300+ existing data centers across 34 countries are already optimized for frontier AI workloads.
According to Microsoft, these systems are “uniquely positioned” to meet the ever-growing computational demands of next-gen AI — models expected to have “hundreds of trillions of parameters.”
In other words, while OpenAI is still laying its foundation, Microsoft is already scaling globally.
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