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In the midst of an AI chip shortage , Microsoft wants to give a inner few startups gratuitous memory access to “ supercomputing ” resource from its Azure cloud for developing AI models .
Microsoft today announce it ’s updating its inauguration plan , Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub , to let in a no - cost Azure AI infrastructure option for “ high-pitched - end , ” Nvidia - base GPU practical machine clusters to take and run generative models , including gravid language model along the lines ofChatGPT .
Y Combinator and its community of startup founders will be the first to reach access to the bunch in individual prevue . Why Y Combinator ? Annie Pearl , VP of Growth and Ecosystems , Microsoft , called YC the “ ideal initial partner , ” given its track record working with startups “ at the earliest stages . ”
“ We ’re work closely with Y Combinator to prioritize the asks from their current age bracket , and then graduate , as part of our initial preview , ” Pearl said . “ The focus will be on tasks like training and all right - tuning use compositor’s case that unblock innovation . ”
It ’s not the first time Microsoft’sattemptedto groom favour with Y Combinator startups . In 2015 , the troupe said it would give $ 500,000 in Azure credit rating to YC ’s Winter 2015 spate , a move that at the clock time was comprehend as an travail to take in these startups aside from rival cloud . One might argue the GPU clusters for AI preparation and inferencing are along the same ego - swear out vein .
Microsoft does n’t of necessity deny this .
“ We consider that Azure is the best organization for make AI solutions , and we ’re prioritize those that are building on Azure , ” Pearl said . “ This go is for Azure - base startups , part of our vision to make Microsoft the best cloud for build AI solution . ”
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The difference this fourth dimension around is that it wo n’t just be Y Combinator startups benefitting .
Microsoft pronounce it ’s working with M12 , its venture monetary fund , and the startups in M12 ’s portfolio to expand access code to the clusters . And over meter , Microsoft plans to partner with extra inauguration investors and accelerators , with the destination of “ lowering the barrier to training and running AI mannikin for any hopeful inauguration ” ( and acquaint them with Azure , of course ) .
“ While all the cloud providers propose credit rating to startups , our approach attempts to address the broader motivation of this community by allowing coating of these credits to training and fine - tuning for those earlier - point startups , ” Pearl say .
Now , Microsoft make water it well-defined that it ’s running a byplay — not a charity . Startups wo n’t be able to run their AI model on the clusters for liberal indefinitely . approach will be “ time - bound , ” Pearl said , and specify to help startup test and trial — rather than run — their operations .
Still , Microsoft ’s place the offering as alone in the AI ecosystem .
“ This broadcast is the first of its kind targeting earlier - stage startups and leave them to use Azure credits to run AI workloads , ” Pearl pronounce . “ That essentially means detached GPUs to early - stage startups in this program who would normally be stuck behind larger client , so they can take aim their AI modeling and drive the next undulation of AI innovation . ”
AWS and Google Cloud would most likely differ with that “ first of its form ” statement — both offersstartupprogramsandacceleratorsaimed at other - stage AI - focalize companies . But by team up with investors — and their networks — Microsoft might just make clearance where the competition has n’t .
