This is not the first time the CMA has investigated such partnerships. In 2019, it probed Amazon's 16% investment in Deliveroo, but later cleared the tech giant's stake in the company. The CMA's current focus is on whether Microsoft's investment and provision of cloud services to OpenAI represents a close, multi-faceted relationship that could affect competition in the AI market.
Key takeaways:
- The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is scrutinizing Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI, which involved a $10 billion investment in OpenAI.
- The CMA is concerned about whether the partnership has resulted in Microsoft gaining control over OpenAI, and is inviting third parties to comment on the potential impact on competition.
- Interested parties have until January 3 to share their views, after which the CMA will decide whether to launch an official investigation.
- This is not the first time the CMA has investigated such partnerships; in 2019, it probed Amazon's 16% investment in Deliveroo, but later cleared the tech giant's stake in the company.