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Despite Microsoft’s pledge to spend $80 billion on AI data centers in FY 2025, the tech giant has reportedly canceled some of its AI data center leases. According to a report issued by financial services company TD Cowen and written by Michael Elias, Cooper Belanger, and Gregory Williams, Microsoft has already made several moves that suggest it may be backing down from some of its previous capacity agreements.
Why is Microsoft canceling data center leases?
The report begins by highlighting the cancellation of “a couple hundred MWs” worth of data center capacity leasing agreements. Although the report doesn’t name any companies, it confirms that these cancellations involved at least two separate data center operators. Considering that Microsoft is one of the top AI companies, the cancelled leases could be devastating to these private data center operators and their bottom lines.
While the authors of the report aren’t certain of the cause for these terminations, they point to a potential overcommitment on behalf of Microsoft. They also suggest that Microsoft may be citing various technical delays to justify the canceled leases.
Uncertainty with Microsoft’s potential conversions
Microsoft is also shying away from converting some of its current Statements of Qualification, also known as SOQs, into leases; however, TD Cowen’s report does not clarify if these conversions are simply delayed or fully cancelled. Since the Statement of Qualification usually serves as a precursor to a full-on lease, companies that were expecting to sign leases in the future now face uncertainty.
Microsoft’s reallocation of resources
Microsoft seems to be reallocating resources from international data center investments and into the U.S. market. According to TD Cowen, the reallocated funds could indicate a slowdown with international leasing contracts.
Per the report, Microsoft was the most active lessee in terms of AI data center capacity throughout all of 2023 and into the first half of 2024. Much of this activity was earmarked specifically to support Azure’s OpenAI workloads and the usage of different types of AI models — including GPT-4o, DALL-E, and others. A slowdown could be a sign of Microsoft adjusting its data center strategy to better align with demand.
Interpretation of Microsoft’s actions
The authors of the TD Cowen report were quick to point out that their conclusions are an interpretation of Microsoft’s recent actions, and that their forecast is subject to change as more information becomes available.
Bloomberg reported that a Microsoft spokesperson said in the company’s statement: “While we may strategically pace or adjust our infrastructure in some areas, we will continue to grow strongly in all regions. Our plans to spend over $80 billion on infrastructure this FY remains on track as we continue to grow at a record pace to meet customer demand.”
Also, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has expressed his excitement for AI data center spending and growth throughout 2028.