Microsoft wanted 1.8 million AI chips installed by the end of 2024. Internal documents put it at 2.2 million now — after $280 billion.
A Guardian investigation published on 17 August, based on internal documents, says Microsoft has roughly 2.2 million AI chips installed across its data centres worldwide. The company had targeted 1.8 million by the end of 2024; nearly two years later, and about $280 billion of spending on land, buildings and computing infrastructure since 2022, it is at 2.2 million. Experts cited in the report say the data-centre capacity Microsoft describes publicly would normally imply many more chips than that. The report does not conclude Microsoft cannot buy chips: Satya Nadella has said before that chips can sit in inventory when there is no finished building or electricity connection to plug them into. Microsoft disputes the analysis, saying the estimates rest on incorrect assumptions, without specifying which ones.
Related stories
OpenAI fired three safety staff for talking to an outside watchdog.2026-10-05OpenAI will put ads beside the pictures you ask ChatGPT to draw.
2026-10-05Musk is dropping the word artificial from his AI unit's name.
2026-10-05Altman says the world should accept some harm to keep AI open.
2026-10-05Change.org will spend $100 million on AI that failed on its site.
2026-10-05