Microsoft prepares to install new version of AI chip in data centers | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Microsoft is preparing to install the next version of its homegrown Maia AI chips in data centers to power AI software, aiming to stock multiple gigawatts of the chips in its server farms. The newest iteration, Maia 300, is expected to start rolling out next year, Microsoft said Monday. The semiconductors are designed for inference—running AI models for tasks such as summarizing a conference call or answering research questions. The move comes as Amazon and Alphabet’s Google also develop in-house accelerators, potentially reducing reliance on Nvidia GPUs. Microsoft says Maia 300 should deliver 40% more tokens per megawatt than leading GPUs, and it isn’t planning to rent Maia compute directly to cloud customers.