Channel Briefs: Microsoft Partners and AI

Grab a cup of your favorite morning beverage and check out the return of our regular market briefing for managed services providers (MSPs), IT service providers (ITSPs), technology service providers (TSPs), cloud service providers (CSPs) cybersecurity consultants, systems integrators, VARs, independent software vendors (ISVs), and distributors.

Scroll down for a quick view of upcoming in-person channel and MSP events at the bottom of this post (while we spiff up our industry calendar behind the scenes. It will return!)

And please send your news tips, information, and industry chatter to editorial director [email protected].

Sip up.

A. Today’s Tech, Channel and MSP News

1. Microsoft and AI - Microsoft is putting the focus on responsible AI and proactive compliance at its  first-ever Culture of Trust digital event on April 2 at 10:00 to 11:00 AM PT. The event will bring together channel leaders from Microsoft Americas and the company’s partner network. More information is available here.

2. More Microsoft and AI - Microsoft is offering Copilot for Microsoft 365 Sales & Technical Bootcamp for Cloud Service Providers. At the beginning of March the company announced specific opportunities for education partners with Copilot for M365. 

3. Even more Microsoft and AI - Microsoft hired Mustafa Suleyman co-founder of Google’s DeepMind to head up its consumer artificial intelligence business. He will report to CEO Satya Nadella and oversee projects including integrating an AI Copilot into Windows and adding conversational elements to the Bing search engine.

4. The PC AI market - PCs that integrate dedicated AI accelerators including neural processing units (NPUs) will gain momentum this year. Canalys is forecasting an estimated 48 million AI-capable PCs will ship worldwide in 2024, representing 18% of total PC shipments. The market analyst firm for the channel said that this is just the start of a major market transition, with AI-capable PC shipments projected to surpass 100 million in 2025, 40% of all PC shipments. In 2028, Canalys expects vendors to ship 205 million AI-capable PCs, representing a compound annual growth rate of 44% between 2024 and 2028. 

5. AI chips, IPO - Chip firm Astera Labs set the pricing of its initial public offering of 19.8 million shares at $36 each, aiming to raise around $712.8 million. The price is above a previous target range of $32 to $34 giving the company a valuation of about $5.5 billion based on the outstanding shares listed in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a Reuters report.

B. In-Person MSP and Channel Partner Events