Microsoft’s AI plans hindered by chip shortage, investigation finds

Microsoft has spent years telling the world it is building the infrastructure backbone of the AI era. A Guardian investigation suggests the reality on the ground is more complicated. The investigation found an apparent discrepancy between what Microsoft has publicly said about its AI capacity and the number of advanced chips it actually has running inside its data centers. The core problem is not that Microsoft lacks chips on paper. Thousands of advanced AI chips are sitting in inventory right now. The issue is that data center construction has fallen behind schedule, leaving those chips without a home to run in. A mismatch between ambition and infrastructure Microsoft has moved to develop its own silicon as part of a broader strategy to reduce dependence on Nvidia. The company rolled out its Maia 200 AI accelerator in early 2026, with the follow-up Maia 300 expected later in the year. Microsoft is currently in negotiations with TSMC for the production of more than 300,000 next-generation AI chips targeted for delivery in 2027. Custom chip production at Microsoft is lagging behind what Amazon and Google have achieved with their own in-house programs. Amazon’s Trainium and Inferenti...