LEAD STORY
Microsoft Azure's first large-scale NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 cluster—rack-scale Blackwell Ultra GPUs for frontier training and inference. Photo: NVIDIA
Microsoft's GB300 AI Factory Goes Live
Microsoft flipped the switch on Azure's first GB300 NVL72 cluster—4,600+ GPUs networked as a single accelerator. Satya Nadella calls it the "first of many." Bottom line: Microsoft can run frontier reasoning models at scale today, not next year. This is the new baseline for hyperscale AI infrastructure.
Azure Blog ↗ |
NVIDIA Blog ↗
EDITOR'S NOTE
This week crystallizes where we are: Microsoft deploys 4,600 GPUs as
one system. OpenAI diversifies chip suppliers while announcing 10 GW targets. AMD gets equity warrants for real delivery commitments. The infrastructure race isn't coming—it's here, at unprecedented scale and speed. Meanwhile, regulators are activating new powers across UK and EU. This is the new normal.
Shashwat Ghosh
Cofounder & Fractional CMO
Helix Consulting
OpenAI Goes Custom Silicon
OpenAI partnered with Broadcom to build custom AI chips targeting 10 GW of compute by 2029. The signal: diversify beyond Nvidia/AMD to control per-token economics.
Reuters ↗
AMD Lands OpenAI—Plus Equity
OpenAI signed a multi-year GPU supply deal with AMD and granted a warrant for up to 160M shares (performance-contingent). Translation: real volumes, material alignment, multi-vendor forever.
AMD IR ↗
Sora 2 Explodes Out of the Gate
OpenAI's Sora 2 video app hit 1M+ downloads in <5 days. The creator-rights debate is heating up fast. Short-form, AI-native video just went mainstream.
The Verge ↗
Google Swings at Enterprise
Google launched Gemini Enterprise (chat-with-your-work-data) and embedded Gemini in Chrome for on-page help. Clear shot at Microsoft's Copilot dominance.
Google Blog ↗
Multi-Model Becomes the Norm
Microsoft added Anthropic's Claude to 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio (hosted on AWS). Vendor mix is now the operating model, not vendor lock-in.
Microsoft ↗
Regulators Tighten the Screws
UK: CMA formally designated Google Search with Strategic Market Status—direct interventions unlocked.
EU: Commission demanded child-safety disclosures from Snapchat, YouTube, Apple App Store, Google Play under DSA.
UK CMA ↗ |
EU Commission ↗
IP Fights Keep Escalating
Apple sued over alleged use of copyrighted books to train Apple Intelligence. Courts will keep dragging model training into discovery and provenance debates.
Reuters via ET ↗
💰 Infrastructure Arms Race
Microsoft's 4,600-GPU cluster + OpenAI's 10 GW custom-chip plan = proof hyperscalers are pouring massive capex into AI infra—right now.
🔄 Unlikely Partnerships
Microsoft brings Anthropic to Copilot (via AWS); OpenAI diversifies to Broadcom while keeping Nvidia/AMD. Multi-vendor is standard.
⚖️ Regulatory Pressure Intensifies
UK CMA designates Google Search; EU scrutinizes platforms for child safety. Compliance load accelerating across jurisdictions.
📚 IP & Training Data Normalize
Apple lawsuit keeps provenance squarely in spotlight. Expect more licensing workflows and transparency tooling across the stack.
About the Author
Shashwat Ghosh is a Fractional CMO and AI GTM operator. As Co-founder at Helix Consulting, he helps B2B teams turn AI capability into revenue—positioning, pricing, sales enablement, and pipeline. He works hands-on with founders and GTM leaders to ship offers customers actually buy and scale repeatable growth.
Focus areas: AI GTM strategy, product positioning, ABM + sales orchestration, market entry, competitive plays, and thought leadership that's tied to pipeline—not pageviews.
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