Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Reshapes Workforce with Voluntary Early Retirement Targeting 7% of Employees

Microsoft is reducing its U.S. workforce through a voluntary early retirement program targeting about 7% of employees. The program focuses on slower growing or more mature activities while concentrating headcount in AI and cloud areas. Management uses the cuts alongside the expanded OneStream alliance and growing Copilot ecosystem. The moves support high margin subscription growth in Azure, Microsoft 365 Copilot and security offerings. Competitors including Alphabet and Amazon continue investing in their own AI and cloud offerings.

NTT DATA Acquires WinWire to Strengthen Microsoft Azure AI Partnership

NTT DATA agreed to acquire WinWire, a Microsoft partner specializing in agentic AI and Azure services. NTT DATA CEO Abhijit Dubey stated the move advances enterprise AI strategy and expands leadership in Microsoft Azure and AI-powered cloud transformation. WinWire brings expertise in cloud-native development, data engineering, and agentic AI. Abhijit Dubey said the combination enables clients to move from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment. NTT DATA operates as part of Tokyo-based NTT Group with North American headquarters in Plano.

Microsoft Israel Head Alon Haimovich to Step Down Following Inquiry on Israeli Military Azure Dealings

NTT DATA Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire WinWire for Agentic AI and Azure Capabilities

NTT DATA announced on May 18, 2026 a definitive agreement to acquire WinWire, a Microsoft partner focused on Agentic AI, AI on Azure, data engineering, and cloud-native development. The deal adds over 1,000 Azure and Microsoft specialists to NTT DATA's team and advances its position as Microsoft's Global System Integrator Growth Champion Partner. Abhijit Dubey, NTT DATA CEO and Chief AI Officer, described the move as a decisive step to scale enterprise AI adoption. Ashu Goel, WinWire CEO, stated the combination extends capabilities to a broader global client base.

Microsoft Israel General Manager Alon Haimovich Departs After Inquiry Into Ministry of Defense Azure Use

O'Melveny Advises NTT DATA Acquisition of WinWire for Azure AI Capabilities

O’Melveny advised NTT DATA in its May 19, 2026 announcement of the acquisition of WinWire, signed May 15, 2026. WinWire specializes in Agentic AI, AI on Azure, data engineering and cloud-native development. The acquisition adds more than 1,000 skilled Azure engineers and Microsoft specialists to NTT DATA. WinWire is an award-winning Microsoft partner and member of the Microsoft Agentic Partner Alliance Program with headquarters in Santa Clara, California and global delivery centers in India. The move expands NTT DATA’s leadership in Microsoft Azure and AI-powered cloud transformation while building on its longstanding Microsoft partnership.

Microsoft Israel Country General Manager Departs Amid Azure Ethical Controversy

Microsoft Largest India Data Center in Hyderabad on Track for Mid-2026 Launch

Microsoft India and South Asia president Puneet Chandok stated on May 19, 2026 that the company's biggest data center in Hyderabad is on track to go live in mid-2026. The facility forms part of Microsoft's $17.5 billion investment in India, its largest outlay in Asia, announced late in 2025. Chandok highlighted massive demand for Azure cloud services and the $30-per-month Copilot 365 AI assistant in India. Microsoft counts IT giants Infosys, Cognizant and Tata Consultancy Services among Copilot customers each with about 50,000 licenses. Chandok described the build-out as the fastest out of the gates amid a war for talent.

Microsoft Discontinues New Azure Reserved VM Instances for Select Series Starting July 1, 2026

Universitas Terbuka Deploys Microsoft Azure and Azure OpenAI Service for Digital Learning Platform

Microsoft Moves GitHub Copilot to Consumption-Based Pricing and Improves Azure AI Margins

Bill Ackman Discloses Pershing Square Stake in Microsoft Citing Azure and AI Growth

Microsoft and OpenAI Amend Partnership with $38 Billion Revenue Share Cap Through 2030

Aaron Katz Meets Satya Nadella Amid Surging ClickHouse Demand on Azure

Microsoft and SAP Expand Global RISE with SAP Acceleration Program on Azure

OneStream Expands Strategic Partnership with Microsoft to Scale AI for Office of the CFO

NTT DATA Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire WinWire Adding Over 1,000 Azure Engineers

NTT DATA announced on May 15, 2026, a definitive agreement to acquire WinWire, a Santa Clara-based Microsoft partner specializing in agentic AI, AI on Azure, data engineering, and cloud-native development. The deal adds more than 1,000 Azure engineers and Microsoft specialists to NTT DATA’s North America operations upon closing. WinWire brings deep experience across Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry to scale enterprise AI adoption beyond experimentation. NTT DATA CEO and Chief AI Officer Abhijit Dubey stated the acquisition advances the company’s enterprise AI strategy and leadership in Microsoft Azure and AI-powered cloud transformation. The move expands NTT DATA’s capabilities in industry-aligned AI-led innovation across its cloud services and Microsoft Business Unit.

Icertis Expands Multi-Year Partnership with Microsoft for AI-Native Contract Intelligence

Microsoft Israel General Manager Alon Haimovich Steps Down on May 31 2026

Bill Ackman Builds $2.1 Billion Microsoft Stake Citing Azure and Copilot Strength

Microsoft Eyes AI Startup Acquisitions to Diversify Beyond OpenAI

Microsoft explores acquisitions of AI startups including Inception to build its own cutting-edge AI model by 2027. The company dropped talks to acquire Cursor due to regulatory concerns over GitHub Copilot ownership and is negotiating with Inception after M12 invested in its $50 million seed round. Microsoft has spent over $100 billion on OpenAI investments and infrastructure including $11.8 billion of a promised $13 billion. Microsoft considered acquiring Inception which seeks over $1 billion in a deal also courted by SpaceX.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Testifies on Early OpenAI Reliance Concerns in Musk v. Altman Trial

Satya Nadella testified on May 11 2026 that Microsoft feared becoming overly dependent on OpenAI as early as April 2022. By June 2026 Microsoft will have spent over $100 billion on OpenAI including investments infrastructure and hosting with 45 percent of commercial remaining performance obligations tied to OpenAI at end of 2025. Microsoft hired Mustafa Suleyman as CEO of its AI unit in March 2024 and invested $5 billion in Anthropic in November 2025. Microsoft revamped its OpenAI agreement in April 2026 to cap revenue shares and allow OpenAI products on other clouds.

Microsoft Executive Testifies to Over $100 Billion Spent on OpenAI Partnership

Microsoft executive Michael Wetter testified that the company has spent more than $100 billion on its OpenAI partnership to date, covering direct investments, Azure infrastructure, and hosting costs for models like ChatGPT. The partnership began with a $1 billion investment in 2019 followed by a $13 billion commitment, generating nearly $9.5 billion in revenue for Microsoft by March 2025. Azure serves as OpenAI’s primary cloud provider with revenue-sharing capped at around $38 billion through 2030. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella defended the relationship in the Musk v. Altman trial while noting internal concerns about dependency.