Microsoft Sees 18% Profit Surge Despite Reduced AI Spending

Following the launch of the ChatGpt Chatbot in 2022, Microsoft has been pouring substantial funds into developing a data center, as highlighted by one industry analyst. Dubbed “Constructing the largest infrastructure ever created by humanity.”

Nevertheless, the company has put the brakes on spending after 10 consecutive quarters marked by increased investment in artificial intelligence, as indicated in the financial results released Wednesday.

In the first quarter of 2025, Microsoft allocated $21.4 billion toward capital expenses, which is over $1 billion less than the previous quarter.

The organization intends to invest more than $80 billion in capital expenditures for the current fiscal year, which concludes in June. However, these pullbacks suggest that, even if marginally, the tech sector’s enthusiasm for AI spending might not be limitless.

Overall, Microsoft’s results showcased unexpected strength in its operations. Revenue surpassed $70 billion, marking a 13% increase from the same period last year. Profits rose by 18% to reach $25.8 billion. These results significantly exceeded Wall Street’s forecasts.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, stated, “The cloud and AI are fundamental components for every business aiming to enhance efficiency, lower expenses, and boost growth.”

Following the announcement, Microsoft’s stock surged by over 5% in after-hours trading.

The company is aggressively expanding, and in the last quarter, Microsoft noted that sales would have been even greater if additional data centers were operational to meet the demand for cloud computing and AI services from its clients.

Sales for Azure, Microsoft’s premier cloud service, increased by 33% during the quarter, greatly surpassing Wall Street’s expectations, with nearly half of that growth attributed to AI services.

Investors have experienced fluctuations in infrastructure spending following reports from analysts at TD Securities in late February that Microsoft had exited several data center contracts. Analysts suggested that Microsoft is linked to a project intended to develop advanced AI systems, in collaboration with partner OpenAI. OpenAI is currently planning to partner with Oracle under the Stargate Project.

Microsoft has acknowledged a slowdown in projects in Ohio and Wisconsin, mentioning the suspension of “early stage projects” as part of its Refinement Process.

(The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming copyright infringement related to AI system-generated news content. Both companies have denied the allegations.)

Analysts at Raymond James reported last week that they have not yet noticed significant reductions in spending from Microsoft’s Enterprise Cloud customers. However, they expressed concerns that tariffs and economic uncertainty could prompt customers to cut back on growth initiatives and focus more on maintaining operations.

Microsoft’s personal computing segment grew by 6%, reaching $13.4 billion, while commercial sales of productivity tools for businesses, including Excel, Teams, and Word, increased by 15%.

Microsoft’s results would have shown even greater performance if revenues exceeded $1 billion and profits had not been impacted by over $400 million due to the depreciation of the US dollar.