Mustafa Suleyman says inference efficiency is AI's key advantage
Microsoft AI's CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, says the real game-changer for artificial intelligence isn't just building smarter models: it's being able to run them efficiently and at scale.
Right now, most of the money in AI goes into "inference" (basically, using AI to answer questions or make predictions), which eats up tons of computing power and pricey GPUs.
Companies with deep pockets (think Microsoft 365 Copilot) can afford these costs, letting them offer faster responses and better features.
High-margin firms keep improving AI
Because running these models is so expensive, companies selling high-margin products have a big advantage.
They can keep improving their AIs while smaller startups and consumer apps often get stuck rationing resources.
This gap could shape who leads the next wave of innovation in AI and who gets left behind.