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

In this episode of Big Technology Podcast, host Alex interviews Scott Guthrie, Microsoft's head of cloud and AI, about the massive investments being made in AI data centers. They discuss whether this build-out is justified, Microsoft's investment strategy compared to other companies like NVIDIA and Oracle, and the potential for diminishing returns on training ever-larger AI models. Guthrie emphasizes Microsoft's balanced approach, focusing on both pre-training and post-training infrastructure, and the importance of geographical distribution to meet data residency needs. The conversation also covers the lifespan and utilization of GPUs, technological breakthroughs in data center cooling, the economic impact of data centers on local communities, and the potential for custom silicon in AI applications.