Microsoft's China AI revenue surges despite US export curbs
Even with the US clamping down on AI exports to China, Microsoft is thriving.
Its Azure cloud platform powers AI services for big Chinese names like ByteDance (the TikTok parent), Tencent, Ant Group, and Meituan.
ByteDance alone is expected to spend more than $1 billion a year on Microsoft's AI and cloud services — proof that demand is huge.
Microsoft's China AI revenues tripled last year after a massive 400% jump the year before.
OpenAI reportedly objects, Microsoft mulls DeepSeek
To keep its tech safe from copying, Microsoft doesn't host OpenAI models on Chinese servers; instead, it lets companies access them globally.
This hasn't stopped controversy, though. OpenAI reportedly isn't happy with how Microsoft handles protection against copying methods like "distillation."
Meanwhile, Microsoft might start using DeepSeek, an open-source Chinese AI model, in its own products. That could make things even trickier as it balances US rules and partnerships in the fast-moving China AI scene.