Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella set the standard for the next generation AI platform on the 16th (local time).
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Nadella stated that AI platforms should provide greater economic value to users than to the companies that created them. He revisited the principle proposed by Bill Gates decades ago: “A platform is established when the economic value to users exceeds that of the company that created it.” He emphasized that this standard should determine the direction of future AI development.
Nadella mentioned that AI should expand the capabilities of all companies. He said that every organization, from startups to global companies, should build its own technology while retaining its unique value. He explained that the concentration of value in a few tech companies hinders AI’s progress.
Nadella’s post quickly spread online after its release. Elon Musk’s “head in hands emoji” reaction sparked further interpretation and speculation. Nadella stated that AI should contribute to expanding opportunities. He noted that if AI fails to broaden opportunities and instead reinforces centralized structures, the significance of the platform diminishes.
He mentioned significant collaborations Microsoft has undertaken as examples. He said that innovation accelerated through collaborations with OpenAI, Nvidia, and AMD. He explained that the broader the cooperation structure, the faster the ecosystem’s overall development pace.
Nadella presented the world’s first AI super factory announced this week as a specific achievement. He stated that the facility was co-designed with OpenAI, and the know-how of AI supercomputers built over three generations for frontier model training and inference is integrated. He emphasized achieving full-stack optimization across everything from model architecture to chip microarchitecture in collaboration with Nvidia.
He also mentioned the effort to include AMD in the fleet performing inference for GPT models, explaining that this allowed AMD to swiftly build its own software stack for AI. He stated that all this infrastructure would now expand to support every startup and company from training to inference.
He highlighted changes made by AI in the coding realm. He recalled that he never heard analysts ask how much revenue Visual Studio generates, but now everyone is excited about AI coding tools. He added that alongside competing for market share with GitHub Copilot, they offer a platform for others through GitHub and Agent HQ.
Nadella emphasized that the true test of the AI era lies outside the technology industry. He stated, “It’s not when yet another tech company breaks valuation records, but when the overall economy and society itself reach new heights.”
He provided examples, such as when a pharmaceutical company uses AI to reduce drug development from 12 years to one, or when a manufacturer redesigns supply chains overnight with AI, teachers personalize lessons for all students, and farmers predict and prevent crop failures, as when the system functions properly.
Nadella concluded by reiterating the performance standards of the AI era. He declared that the rise in the market capitalization of tech companies is not the measure of AI’s success. Instead, he explained, the AI era’s performance is proven when industries such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and education genuinely experience improvement. He emphasized that the next stage of AI must lead to growth across industries.