Microsoft is preparing to push its boundaries of artificial intelligence (AI) towards excellence, as the company moves itself towards “true AI self-sufficiency”.
The company’s AI chief, Mustafa Suleyman, told the Financial Times, the American tech giant is currently developing its native cutting-edge foundation models, aiming to minimise its dependence on OpenAI.
According to Microsoft, OpenAI is one of its “frontier model partners,” and Microsoft’s IP rights and Azure API exclusivity run “through 2032,” including models “post-AGI.” So, Microsoft is moving towards negotiating, route, and replace.
Notably, Microsoft is planning to incorporate the model into selected Copilot text features, marking a strategic move to supersede OpenAI systems in the company’s project.
Apart from this, the company has diversified its AI ecosystem, as it hosts models from Mistral, xAI, Black Forest Labs, and Meta in its data centres.
Moreover, Microsoft is reportedly experimenting with Anthropic's Claude for Microsoft 365 Copilot tasks.
In October 2025, Both tech giants signed a reworked agreement. Microsoft converted profit-sharing rights into a 27 % ownership stake in OpenAI Group PBC at a valuation of $135 billion.
With this deal, Microsoft and OpenAI both received more independence, as the ChatGPT manufacturer gained flexibility to seek computing resources beyond Azure. Microsoft also got the right to pursue artificial general intelligence solely or along with new partners.
