Microsoft plans US$10 billion Middle East cloud and AI investment – Intelligent CIO Middle East

Anthropic's IPO filing shows $8.9B spent on rented computing in H1 2026, with $430B in long-term computing deals. Broadcom (AVGO) leads at $161B, followed by Google (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), and Microsoft (MSFT). Anthropic's revenue was $16.3B, with a $80.7B net loss, including a $72.4B non-cash charge.

Oppenheimer raised its price target for Microsoft to $625 from $570, maintaining an Outperform rating. The stock was trading at $525.64, up 0.22% on the day but down 0.86% over the past year, with an 8.45% gain over 52 weeks.

Oppenheimer raised its price target on Microsoft (MSFT) to $625 from $570, citing strong demand for Azure and Microsoft 365. The firm noted infrastructure constraints as the main growth limiter. MSFT trades at $524.51, with a 68% gross profit margin and 34% return on equity. Analysts expect strong Azure performance in Q1 2027 earnings, with varied price targets and ratings.

Oppenheimer raised its Microsoft (MSFT) price target to $625 from $570, citing strong enterprise demand for Azure and Microsoft 365. Analyst Brian Schwartz projects $90B revenue and $4.69 EPS for Q1, with Azure growth at 46%. Microsoft plans to double data-center capacity and expand Copilot's monetization. Results are due October 28.

Netflix reportedly offered Microsoft $500M to license Xbox games for adaptations, but Microsoft countered with an $800M demand. Netflix withdrew its offer. Microsoft's Xbox division is now pursuing individual deals for game adaptations, including a Diablo animated series with Netflix.

Helen Chiang, who had been Xbox COO for 3 months, left Microsoft. CEO Asha Sharma confirmed her departure in an internal memo. Chiang had worked at Microsoft for 21 years. Xbox vice president of communications Kari Perez declined to comment further. This follows another recent departure of Jared Palmer, who left after 2 months as VP of Xbox Engineering.