Microsoft Brings New OpenAI Models to Azure
Microsoft has announced the expansion of its OpenAI Service on Azure, allowing enterprises to bring the power of advanced AI models such as GPT-3.5 (language generation), Codex (programming aid), and DALL-E 2 (image generation) to its cloud service.
The OpenAI Service on Azure started as a limited preview back in November of 2021. Though the tech juggernaut positioned the service as being generally available, businesses have to apply for access to the AI models, which limits access to a select few.
An early investor in OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, Microsoft recently decided to up the ante with another USD10 billion which will give it access to some of the best models from OpenAI.
ChatGPT soon
"With Azure OpenAI Service now generally available, more businesses can apply for access to the most advanced AI models in the world - including GPT-3.5, Codex, and DALL-E 2 - backed by the trusted enterprise-grade capabilities and AI-optimized infrastructure of Microsoft Azure, to create cutting-edge applications," said Eric Boyd, corporate vice president of AI Platform at Microsoft in a blog post.
Boyd says access to ChatGPT, the AI model that has taken the world by storm over the last two months, will also be made available through Azure OpenAI Service "soon". ChatGPT is refined from GPT-3.5 and is capable of generating human-like responses that are difficult to distinguish from those made by a real person.
The release of ChatGPT saw Google scrambling to refocus its AI efforts to address the potential threat to its lucrative USD208 billion-a-year search engine business.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadelle also tweeted in support of the announcement: "ChatGPT is coming soon to the Azure OpenAI Service, which is now generally available, as we help customers apply the world’s most advanced AI models to their own business imperatives."
According to Boyd, customers such as accounting firm KPMG, startup Moveworks, and others have been using Azure OpenAI Service to do more with less, improve experiences for end-users, and streamline operational efficiencies.
Image credit: iStockphoto/Andy
