Microsoft Expands Partnership with OpenAI Through New Agreement

According to PANews, Microsoft shares rose by 4.6% in pre-market trading following the announcement of a new agreement with OpenAI. The deal involves OpenAI purchasing an additional $250 billion in Azure services, with Microsoft acquiring approximately $135 billion or 27% of OpenAI's shares. Microsoft expressed its support for OpenAI's establishment as a public benefit corporation (PBC). The tech giant will retain intellectual property rights and exclusive access to Azure API until the achievement of artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI is now authorized to offer API access to clients in the U.S. government's national security sector, regardless of the cloud service provider they use. Additionally, OpenAI can release open-weight models that meet necessary capability standards.