Microsoft has launched a new business unit called Microsoft Frontier Company to help organizations build, manage, and implement artificial intelligence applications. The venture was announced Thursday and is backed by an initial $2.5 billion investment from the tech giant.
The organization is staffed by 6,000 industry and engineering experts who will assist businesses with the technical and strategic work of deploying enterprise AI using Microsoft’s existing tools. Traditionally, software vendors have left this type of lower-margin implementation work to consulting companies.
Microsoft is the latest tech company to form a business focused on helping customers understand and implement AI, following Amazon, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Early partnerships for the new venture include the London Stock Exchange Group, Unilever, Land O’Lakes, and Accenture.