)'s $13 billion investment into OpenAI is not an acquisition, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, signaling the deal will avoid a formal European probe that could have led to onerous remedies for the U.S. tech giant.
But Microsoft is not out of the woods yet, with the EU competition enforcer still looking into partnerships between large digital market players and generative AI developers and providers that could lead to intrusive and lengthy investigations in their market power. "We are checking whether Microsoft's investment in OpenAI might be reviewable under the EU Merger Regulation."
To avoid such probes, Microsoft is actively scouting partnerships with other AI firms. Earlier this year, it announced a pact with French startup Mistral AI.Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors.