Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): AI Data Center Pause Signals Strategic Rethink in Cloud Infrastructure

We recently published a list of 14 AI Stocks Catching Wall Street’s Attention. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) stands against other AI stocks catching Wall Street’s attention.

In the latest development in the feud between OpenAI and Elon Musk, the ChatGPT maker has countersued billionaire Musk, citing a pattern of harassment. The company also asked a federal judge to stop Musk from any “further unlawful and unfair action” against OpenAI in a court case over the company’s future structure that has fueled the AI revolution.

OpenAI claims that Musk has tried “nonstop” to slow down its business for his benefit, accusing him of using “bad-faith tactics” against it to help him control AI technology.

Musk has been actively seeking to stop OpenAI from transitioning to a “for-profit” company, claiming that the transition will be a bad idea, which prioritizes commercial interests and compromises its mission of benefiting humanity.

OpenAI, however, denies these allegations. The company must complete its transition by the end of the year if it seeks to secure the entire $40 billion of its current fundraising round. If the transition fails to complete by year-end, the funding will likely be reduced to US$20 billion.

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“Through press attacks, malicious campaigns broadcast to Musk’s more than 200 million followers on the social media platform he controls, a pretextual demand for corporate records, harassing legal claims, and a sham bid for OpenAI’s assets, Musk has tried every tool available to harm OpenAI,”

-OpenAI wrote in a filing in Musk’s existing lawsuit against it in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

In response, Musk’s legal team has referred to a $97.4 billion unsolicited takeover bid from a Musk-led consortium. This bid was rejected by OpenAI.

“Had OpenAI’s Board genuinely considered the bid as they were obligated to do they would have seen how serious it was. It’s telling that having to pay fair market value for OpenAI’s assets allegedly ‘interferes’ with their business plans.”

-Musk’s lawyer Marc Toberoff said in a statement provided to Reuters.

“Elon’s nonstop actions against us are just bad-faith tactics to slow down OpenAI and seize control of the leading AI innovations for his personal benefit. Today, we countersued to stop him.”

-OpenAI said in a statement on Wednesday.

For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds. The hedge fund data is as of Q4 2024.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points  (see more details here).

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): AI Data Center Pause Signals Strategic Rethink in Cloud Infrastructure

A development team working together to create the next version of Windows.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 317

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) provides AI-powered cloud, productivity, and business solutions, focusing on efficiency, security, and AI advancements. On April 10, multiple news sources reported that Microsoft has decided to suspend its billion-dollar data center project in Licking County, Ohio. ​The move marks the latest hint that AI technology may not require massive infrastructure as previously anticipated. The company has confirmed that it will halt early-stage projects on rural land in central Ohio’s Licking County, and reserve two of the three sites for farmland.

“In recent years, demand for our cloud and AI services grew more than we could have ever anticipated and to meet this opportunity, we began executing the largest and most ambitious infrastructure scaling project in our history…Walsh said “any significant new endeavor at this size and scale requires agility and refinement as we learn and grow with our customers. What this means is that we are slowing or pausing some early-stage projects.”

-Noelle Walsh, President of Microsoft’s cloud computing operations.

Overall, MSFT ranks 2nd on our list of AI stocks catching Wall Street’s attention. While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MSFT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.