Insiders with knowledge of the situation reveal that on January 30, 2026, AI - focused startup Perplexity entered into a three - year agreement with Microsoft, valued at a staggering $750 million. This deal is centered around leveraging Microsoft's Azure cloud services. Under the terms of this pact, Perplexity gains the right to deploy an array of AI models via Microsoft's Foundry program. These models encompass systems developed by OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI. Such a collaboration is set to potentially reshape the landscape of AI applications and services, as it combines the innovative capabilities of Perplexity with the robust infrastructure and technological reach of Microsoft.
