Microsoft, Cloud and Azure growth
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As Azure crumbled, Microsoft laid out its latest 40% growth rate numbers to show how well the platform is doing
The most important number in Microsoft's earnings call could be its Azure forecast, particularly as investors assess the sustainability of cloud growth and the company's ability to meet demand in the face of supply constraints.
Microsoft's Azure and its suite of productivity software were down for thousands of users on Wednesday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.
Microsoft said the Azure cloud business, its key AI unit, grew 40% in the July-September period - its fiscal first quarter - outpacing Visible Alpha estimates of about 38.4%. The results highlight the growing returns from Microsoft's massive AI investments.