Microsoft's next biggest AI model could potentially rival even the industry's leading large language models like OpenAI's GPT-4, Google's Gemini AI, and Claude from Anthropic.
According to insider reports from The Information, the upcoming MAI-1 model will have over 500 billion parameters, outclassing previous models released as well as current models Meta and Mistral offers.
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AI parameters refer to the "configuration variables" the model can handle, allowing it to process more complex patterns and provide more accurate predictions.
The bigger the parameters an AI handles, the better its performance and data input processing will be.
While its processing capabilities are much lesser than Gemini (100 trillion parameters) and GPT-4 (1 trillion), MAI-1 is only in its initial development phase and is expected to handle bigger parameters after Microsoft determines its exact purpose.
Microsoft MAI-1 Already Surpasses Other Mainstream AI Models
At its current stage, the AI is reportedly "far larger" than the Meta's and Mistral's, which currently only sit around 70 million parameters.
The biggest indicator that it is intended to compete with industry giants is Microsoft's willingness to invest in the project even without assurances on the final product.
According to the report, the tech giant has already poured $650 million to secure intellectual rights on the technology last March.
Microsoft is also putting former Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman to head the project despite regulatory scrutiny over the deal.
Also Read: Microsoft Appoints DeepMind Co-Founder as CEO of New AI Division
MAI-1 Will be Built from the Ground Up: Sources
Unlike previous AI models Microsoft released, MAI-1 will be entirely built on Microsoft rather than a carry-over from another company as it did when it invested $10 billion to OpenAI in Azure.
According to sources, training data and other tools from Inflection, Suleyman's former company, will possibly be used while other necessary resources will be directly from Microsoft.
It remains uncertain how much money Microsoft is willing to invest into the project amid operation slowdowns caused by regulators cracking down on the tech giants.
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