Microsoft's Cloud & AI Head on the AI Buildout's Risks and ROI — With Scott Guthrie

Scott Guthrie is the executive vice president of Cloud and AI at Microsoft. Guthrie joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss the tech industry's massive AI infrastructure buildout and whether it is overdoing it with the hundreds of billions of investment. Guthrie discusses the way Microsoft thinks about its OpenAI investment, whether it's worth investing in scaling pre-training, and Silicon Valley's growing debt problem Tune in for the second half where we discuss the longevity of the GPU, custom silicon, and competing with NVIDIA. Chapters: 00:00 The AI Investment Surge 02:59 Microsoft's Strategic AI Infrastructure Decisions 05:56 Balancing AI Training and Infrastructure 09:01 The Role of Debt in AI Infrastructure 11:56 Geopolitical Considerations in AI Investments 14:52 The Future of AI Training and Scaling 27:25 Consequences of Debt Management in Tech 29:20 Infrastructure and AI: Balancing Growth and Responsibility 30:18 Understanding GPU Lifespan and Utilization 33:30 Technological Breakthroughs in Data Centers 36:11 The Economic Impact of Data Centers on Communities 39:00 Navigating Global Competition in Data Center Development 41:16 ROI on Investments in AI and Infrastructure 43:27 The Future of Custom Silicon in AI 50:55 Collaboration and Competition in the Tech Industry --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Questions? Feedback? Write to: bigtechnologypodcast@gmail.com