Microsoft Stocks Rise Higher as Maia's Sevenfold Throughput Claim Faces Deployment Test

Microsoft (MSFT) plans to use its own Maia chips for AI models, reducing reliance on Nvidia. The Maia 300, launching in 2027, aims for lower costs and greater efficiency. The shift primarily affects the Intelligent Cloud segment, which generated $137.8B in FY2026. Microsoft's capital spending is $115.9B over the past year, with no savings figure provided for Maia.

U.S. President Trump suspended several Indian IT companies, including Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, and HCL, from a labor certification program, citing job displacement. The U.S. is India's major market, with a $58.4B goods trade deficit in 2025. Trump aims to reduce this imbalance, pressuring India to open protected sectors. Indian Finance Minister Sitharaman acknowledged the trade talks' challenges.

Microsoft (MSFT) unveiled Azure Maia 300, an AI chip for internal use, aiming to reduce costs for AI products like Copilot. Maia will be the primary inference system for Microsoft's AI services starting in 2027. MSFT closed at $541.15, up 1.14%, while NVDA, which supplies training chips, closed at $226.32, down 1.29%. Microsoft expects significant savings from Maia, though Nvidia remains a key partner for training.

Microsoft introduced Maia 300, its third-generation AI chip, and confirmed Maia 200 is in production, powering services like Copilot. Maia 200 delivers 1.7x more tokens per watt than leading GPUs and is deployed in US, Europe, and Australia. Maia 300, launching in 2027, aims for 40% more efficiency and 7x throughput. Microsoft uses Maia internally, with no plans yet to offer it via Azure.

Microsoft plans to expand its Azure Maia AI chip family to multi-gigawatt deployments starting 2027, aiming to make it the primary system for AI models. The company introduced Maia 300, expected to deliver 40% more tokens per watt than leading GPUs. Maia 200, already deployed, offers 1.7x more tokens per watt in Microsoft Teams and Copilot. The chips are designed for efficiency and demanding AI workloads, with Maia 300 expected to have seven times the token throughput of Maia 200.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella urged companies to treat advanced AI models as potential threats, assuming compromise and implementing 'emergency brake' systems. He advised against relying solely on AI model makers' assurances and recommended independent audits, failure disclosures, and shared incident details. This follows recent AI incidents involving Anthropic and OpenAI. Microsoft released AI development guidelines on Sept. 14, emphasizing human control and safety.