Microsoft has unveiled its new AI inference chip, Maia 200. Built specifically for inference workloads, the chip delivers 30 percent better performance per dollar than current-generation chips in Microsoft's data centers, the company claims. It's manufactured using TSMC's 3-nanometer process, packs over 140 billion transistors, and features 216 GB of high-speed memory.
According to Microsoft, the Maia 200 is now the most powerful in-house chip among major cloud providers. The company claims it delivers three times the FP4 performance of Amazon's Trainium 3 while also outperforming Google's TPU v7 in FP8 calculations—though independent benchmarks have yet to verify these figures.
Microsoft's comparison shows the Maia 200 outperforming Amazon's Trainium 3 and Google's TPU v7 across key specifications. | Image: Microsoft
Microsoft says the chip already powers OpenAI's GPT 5.2 models and Microsoft 365 Copilot. Developers interested in trying it out can sign up for a preview of the Maia SDK. The Maia 200 is currently available in Microsoft's Iowa data center, with Arizona coming next. More technical details about the chip are available here.
Nvidia invests $2 billion in cloud provider Coreweave, buying shares at $87.20 each. The two companies are expanding their existing partnership to build AI data centers with more than 5 gigawatts of capacity by 2030.
As part of the deal, Coreweave will deploy multiple generations of Nvidia hardware, including the Rubin platform, Vera processors, and Bluefield storage systems. The partners also plan to integrate Coreweave's software into Nvidia's reference architectures for cloud providers and enterprise customers.
Emergency meetings and failed billion-dollar talks reveal the chaos behind Apple's pivot to Google Gemini
Internal crisis meetings, a leader who cried “bullshit” and convinced no one, and billion-dollar negotiations that fell apart: Bloomberg reveals the backstory behind Apple’s decision to partner with Google.
New study disrupts the narrative that ChatGPT's launch triggered a job decline
The story sounds simple: ChatGPT launched, jobs in AI-exposed fields disappeared. But a new study shows the decline started months before the chatbot arrived. The researchers argue we shouldn’t pin all labor market problems on AI.
Data from Sensor Tower and Wells Fargo Securities suggests AI coding tools are flooding the iOS App Store. According to a16z, new iOS apps jumped 60 percent in December 2025 year-over-year, with 24 percent growth across the full twelve months. The three years prior, new app numbers stayed essentially flat.
The chart shows year-over-year iOS app releases, with growth accelerating sharply after the release of agentic coding tools. | Image: via a16z
The analysis doesn't prove vibe coding is causing the increase; the correlation could be coincidental. Still, it makes intuitive sense: building an app has become much easier, meaning more people can now ship their ideas to the App Store.
