The announcement follows plans by Microsoft’s biggest cloud rivals Google and Amazon to offer companies a range of AI models to choose from. Amazon, for example, markets access to Claude, the AI of well-known startup Anthropic, as well as its own family of Titan models.
Google, meanwhile, has said it plans to make Claude and other models available to its cloud customers. Until now, Microsoft has focused on making OpenAI technology available to Azure.
Asked why Microsoft would support an offering that could degrade the value of OpenAI, a Microsoft spokesperson said that giving developers a choice of the types of models they use would help broaden its position as a cloud platform for AI work.
For Meta, a flourishing open-source ecosystem of AI technology built on its models could hamper rivals’ plans to earn revenue from its proprietary technology, the value of which would evaporate if developers could use equally powerful open-source systems for free. .
A Meta spokesperson noted that the company is “not focused on monetizing LLaMA 2,” so those companies that want to access the software through a commercial license will have to pay Microsoft for enterprise hosting capabilities. Following the announcement, Microsoft shares rose 4.7% in midday trading.
(With information from Reuters)
