Microsoft's costs in focus as fears rise over slow payoff from AI

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a Microsoft logo at Microsoft offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France, March 25, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes//File Photo

(Reuters) - Microsoft investors will have one big question when the tech giant reports earnings on Tuesday: has growth in its Azure cloud-computing business picked up enough to justify the billions of dollars being spent on artificial intelligence infrastructure?

Widely seen as the front-runner in the race to make money from AI, thanks to its tie-up with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Microsoft is expected to report that Azure's growth stayed steady quarter-over-quarter at about 31% between April and June, according to data from Visible Alpha.