From TechCrunch
By Kyle Wiggers
November 7, 2023
In the midst of an AI chip shortage, Microsoft wants to give a privileged few startups free access to “supercomputing” resources from its Azure cloud for developing AI models. Microsoft today announced it’s updating its startup program, Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, to include a no-cost Azure AI infrastructure option for “high-end,” Nvidia-based GPU virtual […]
© 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Microsoft launches Pegasus program for startups, awarding up to $350,000 in credits
Microsoft is extending the Startup Founders Hub, its self-service platform that provides founders with free resources including Azure credits, with a new incubator program called the Pegasus Program. Pegasus will select startups with products that “fill a market need” and give them up to $350,000 in Azure, GitHub and LinkedIn credits plus backing from advisors, […]
May 3, 2023
CoreWeave, which provides cloud infrastructure for AI training, secures $2.3B loan
As organizations rush to embrace AI, it’s putting the cloud — or clouds, rather — under strain. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google and Oracle, facing an unprecedented spike in demand for the server chips that train and run AI-powered software, are limiting their availability for customers. Microsoft has been particularly candid about its struggles, warning […]
Aug 3, 2023
AI chip startup Tenstorrent lands $100M investment from Hyundai and Samsung
The appetite for hardware to train AI models is voracious. AI chips are forecast to account for up to 20% of the $450 billion total semiconductor market by 2025, according to McKinsey. And The Insight Partners projects that sales of AI chips will climb to $83.3 billion in 2027 from $5.7 billion in 2018, a […]
Aug 4, 2023
Andreessen Horowitz helps founders meet compute needs with ‘Oxygen’ private GPU cluster
Andreessen Horowitz has a massive cluster of Nvidia H100 GPUs to help its portfolio of AI startups meet their compute needs, the venture capital firm confirmed for the first time on Wednesday. The program, called “Oxygen”, allows their portfolio companies to train or operate their AI models without negotiating market rates. A16Z’s Oxygen cluster gives startups some breathing room, so to speak, to compete against larger tech companies – such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft – in building large AI
Oct 23, 2024