Microsoft plans on investing $80,000,000,000 in AI this year, with no sign of the machine learning spending spree stalling just yet

Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Windows and Devices Pavan Davuluri speaks about Recall during the Microsoft May 20 Briefing event at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, on May 20, 2024. Microsoft unveiled a new category of PC on Monday that features generative artificial intelligence tools built directly into Windows, the company's world leading operating system. The tech giant estimates that more than 50 million "AI PCs" will be sold over the next 12 months, given the appetite for devices powered by ChatGPT-style technology. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP) (Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)

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Nobody would deny that big tech requires huge investments to kickstart them and keep the ball rolling, but at some point, multi-billion dollar expenditures require some kind of return before they become a lost cause. In the case of Microsoft and AI, that's not something being considered, as the software giant plans on spending $80 billion dollars on machine learning technology this year.

Microsoft casually dropped the monstrously huge sum of money in a long-winded blog by Brad Smith, Vice Chair & President of Microsoft, titled 'The Golden Opportunity for American AI' (via The Register). It starts by making it clear that AI is very much the number one focus right now, and that advances in AI technology and infrastructure need to continue. Microsoft also wants to promote training programs to get more people working in the field and it also wants America, as a whole, to export its AI systems to "allies and friends."

In its most recent financial statement, CEO Satya Nadella notes that "[our] growth depends on securely delivering continuous innovation and advancing our leading productivity and collaboration tools and services, including Microsoft 365, LinkedIn, and Dynamics 365" and that "digital transformation and adoption of AI continues to revolutionize more business workstreams for organizations in every sector across the globe."

The blog also talks about how Microsoft expects AI to eventually become another GPT or general-purpose technology because AI will apparently just be like electricity, ironworking, and computer chips in the same way they've "boost[ed] innovation and productivity across the economy." To me, that sounds like Microsoft wants its Azure AI service to be ubiquitous in the business world, with every company tapping into its machine learning subscription services.

Nick, gaming, and computers all first met in the early 1980s. After leaving university, he became a physics and IT teacher and started writing about tech in the late 1990s. That resulted in him working with MadOnion to write the help files for 3DMark and PCMark. After a short stint working at Beyond3D.com, Nick joined Futuremark (MadOnion rebranded) full-time, as editor-in-chief for its PC gaming section, YouGamers. After the site shutdown, he became an engineering and computing lecturer for many years, but missed the writing bug. Cue four years at TechSpot.com covering everything and anything to do with tech and PCs. He freely admits to being far too obsessed with GPUs and open-world grindy RPGs, but who isn't these days?