Latest news with #JudsonAlthoff
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft may have a ‘Copilot plan' for US Defence Department
Microsoft is reportedly preparing to develop a separate version of its Copilot AI tool specifically for the Pentagon. This initiative would shape Microsoft's main generative AI offering for the US Defence Department. Copilot is designed to automate various tasks and support human employees by leveraging AI models. Microsoft has already developed several Copilot tools, including Copilot for Microsoft 365, which operates across productivity software such as PowerPoint, Excel, and Word documents. The potential adoption of a Copilot service by the Pentagon would represent a significant gain for Microsoft. The tech giant has invested substantially in developing these new AI offerings and is actively seeking effective monetisation strategies for them. What Microsoft said about developing a new Copilot AI tool for Pentagon 'For DoD environments, Microsoft 365 Copilot is expected to become available no earlier than summer 2025. Work is ongoing to ensure the offering meets the necessary security and compliance standards,' the company stated in a recent blog written for government customers (seen by Business Insider) In a recent all-hands meeting, Microsoft Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff mentioned that one of their customers with over 1 million Microsoft 365 licenses is planning to deploy Copilot, according to attendees. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo However, Althoff did not reveal the customer's name, and Microsoft declined to comment. It's important to note that only a handful of organisations have workforces large enough to warrant more than 1 million Copilot seats. The Defence Department fits that profile as it employs about 2.1 million active-duty service members and roughly 770,000 civilians, per a 2023 Government Accountability Office report. Microsoft has also suggested that it will extend Copilot to its Microsoft 365 suite for high-security government customers this year. While Copilot is not yet available on 'GCC-High,' its US government–focused, high-security cloud, a March 31 update confirmed that it will arrive in those environments as early as this summer. 'For organisations in GCC High, Microsoft 365 Copilot remains in development to meet security and compliance requirements. We are planning on a general availability (GA) release this calendar year,' the company explained.
Cision Canada
12-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Databricks and Microsoft Extend Strategic Partnership for Azure Databricks
Multi-year deal to advance data and AI innovation on Azure Databricks SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2025 /CNW/ -- Data + AI Summit -- Databricks, the Data and AI company, and Microsoft today announced a multi-year early extension of their strategic partnership, underscoring a shared commitment to helping organizations harness the power of data and AI. Azure Databricks, a Microsoft first-party service since 2018, is a trusted platform that provides thousands of joint customers with cutting-edge data and AI capabilities on a secure and trusted platform. This announcement builds upon recent product innovations, including new native integrations between Azure Databricks, Azure AI Foundry and Microsoft Power Platform as well as the upcoming release of SAP Databricks on Azure. Together, Databricks and Microsoft will continue to help organizations unlock the full potential of their data and accelerate innovation in the age of AI. "We are entering a new era where every application will be intelligent, and every business will be data-driven," said Ali Ghodsi, Co-founder and CEO of Databricks. "This extended partnership with Microsoft shows our long-term joint commitment to helping organizations innovate faster with a unified, open, and governed platform for data and AI on Azure Databricks. Together, we're laying the foundation for the next generation of AI-powered enterprises." "Democratizing data and AI is a critical component for any organization seeking to drive pragmatic innovation and unlock greater business opportunity," said Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Microsoft. "By deepening our long-standing partnership with Databricks and enhancing interoperability, we are delivering significant value to enterprise and IT developers by enabling tighter integration across the Azure ecosystem—from Azure AI Foundry and Power Platform to SAP. Together, we are empowering our customers with Azure Databricks to help them harness the full potential of their data, build the next generation of autonomous systems and accelerate AI Transformation." Through this extended partnership, customers can expect continuous advancements in Azure Databricks to meet the evolving demands of AI, driving greater innovation, efficiency and trust. Additionally, Databricks and Microsoft will continue to deliver deep integrations between Azure Databricks and the broader Microsoft ecosystem, enabling a unified and streamlined experience. From centralized governance and open data formats to built-in warehousing and native AI tools, Azure Databricks is a proven platform at scale trusted by thousands of customers. Azure Databricks is powered by the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform, which democratizes access to data and AI, making it easier for organizations to harness the power of their data for analytics, machine learning, and AI applications. The platform is built on a foundation of unified data and governance that helps customers more easily develop agents with domain knowledge drawn from the entirety of their enterprise. About Databricks Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 15,000 organizations worldwide and over 60% of the Fortune 500 rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to take control of their data and put it to work with AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake, MLflow, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on o learn more, follow Databricks on X, LinkedIn and Facebook.
India Today
12-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
Microsoft is making a special AI Copilot for the US military
Microsoft is developing a special version of its Copilot AI assistant tailored for the US military, with availability expected by summer 2025. In a blog post written for its government customers, Microsoft confirmed that Copilot for the Department of Defense (DoD) is currently under development. 'For DoD environments, Microsoft 365 Copilot is expected to become available no earlier than summer 2025,' the company wrote. 'Work is ongoing to ensure the offering meets the necessary security and compliance standards.'advertisementCopilot is Microsoft's primary generative AI platform and is already integrated into tools like Word, PowerPoint and Excel for general users. A military-grade version, however, requires stronger safeguards and has to meet stringent compliance rules set for high-security also stated in a March update that it is working to bring Copilot to GCC High, its cloud platform for US government clients. 'We are planning on a general availability (GA) release this calendar year,' the company said. Microsoft's Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff reportedly also told employees recently that a customer with more than one million Microsoft 365 licenses is adopting Copilot. While the customer was not named, the Defence Department, with over 2.8 million military and civilian employees, fits the development of a defence-specific Copilot underscores how AI is becoming a vital part of US government infrastructure. On July 4, the General Services Administration (GSA) is expected to launch – a platform designed to help US government agencies access powerful AI tools from companies like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and eventually Amazon Web Services and to a report by 404 Media, the project includes a chatbot assistant, a model-agnostic API, and a console to monitor AI usage across federal departments. 'We want to start implementing more AI at the agency level and be an example for how other agencies can start leveraging AI,' Thomas Shedd, head of the GSA's Technology Transformation Services, reportedly told his of the more innovative features is the use of analytics to track how government teams are using AI. This data could help highlight success stories and identify areas where more training is growing focus on AI in defence isn't limited to Microsoft and the GSA. AI company Anthropic recently announced its own line of custom AI models for the US government, branded 'Claude Gov'. These tools are already in use by top national security agencies and are designed to assist with tasks like intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, and threat detection. 'Access to these models is limited to those who operate in classified environments,' Anthropic stated. The Claude Gov models are built with enhanced capabilities, including the ability to handle sensitive data and understand defence-specific language and Meta is also deepening its ties with the defence sector. The Mark Zuckerberg-owned company is partnering with Anduril, a defence startup founded by Oculus creator Palmer Luckey, to develop virtual and augmented reality headsets for US service members. 'We're proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American service members that protect our interests at home and abroad,' said Meta CEO Mark Watch
Business Insider
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Microsoft is prepping an AI Copilot for the Pentagon
Microsoft is preparing a version of its Copilot AI tool for the Pentagon. "For DoD environments, Microsoft 365 Copilot is expected to become available no earlier than summer 2025," the company stated in a recent blog written for government customers. "Work is ongoing to ensure the offering meets the necessary security and compliance standards." Copilot is Microsoft's main generative AI offering. The company has developed several Copilot tools, which tap into AI models to automate various tasks and support human employees. The Copilot for Microsoft's 365 service works across productivity software such as PowerPoint slides, Excel spreadsheets, and Word documents. Microsoft has invested heavily to build these new offerings, but it's still trying to figure out the best way to make money from them. If the Pentagon signs up for a Copilot service, that would be a major win for the tech giant. In a recent meeting, Microsoft Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff told employees that a customer with more than 1 million Microsoft 365 licenses will be adding Copilot, according to people who attended. Althoff did not disclose the customer and Microsoft declined to comment, but there are likely only a few customers with workforces big enough to justify adding more than 1 million Copilot seats. The Defense Department is one such customer. It is one of the largest employers in the US, with a military workforce of about 2.1 million service members and about 770,000 civilian employees, according to a 2023 report by the Government Accountability Office. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. Microsoft has publicly stated plans to add Copilot to versions of its Microsoft 365 suite of applications for high-security government customers this year. Microsoft's website currently states that Microsoft 365 Copilot is not available via "GCC-High," its high security cloud platform for US government personnel. However, in a March 31 update, the company said it plans to add Copilot to these environments as soon as this summer. "For organizations in GCC High, Microsoft 365 Copilot remains in development to meet security and compliance requirements," the company explained. "We are planning on a general availability (GA) release this calendar year."
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Microsoft may sign one of the biggest deals yet for its AI-powered CoPilot assistant: Report
Microsoft is reportedly working on one of the biggest deals yet for its AI-powered CoPilot assistant. According to a Business Insider report, the software giant's Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff told employees that a single customer with more than 1 million Microsoft 365 licenses will soon be adding Copilot to its setup. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The report further says that the agreement could still change, and Microsoft might not follow its usual per-user monthly pricing. Instead, the company could try consumption-based billing, a new trend in AI-related services. If Microsoft were to charge its standard $30 per user per month for Copilot, the deal could be worth around $360 million a year. However, it's unlikely that a customer buying in such volume would pay full price. Adding over a million users in one go would be a big boost for Microsoft's efforts to expand Copilot's adoption. While the company has heavily invested in AI tools, it's still working out how to best market and price them. Some customers and insiders have questioned Copilot's effectiveness and Microsoft's evolving AI strategy. To address this, Microsoft has recently updated how it presents its AI offerings to customers, aiming to simplify the pitch and boost adoption, internal documents show. Likely partners of rumoured Microsoft's deal While the identity of the customer remains unknown, but 'there aren't many companies with workforces that size,' the report states. Amazon is one possible candidate, given its size. But a company employee told Business Insider that Amazon is unlikely to adopt Copilot due to internal rules against using external AI tools. Amazon also declined to comment. A previous report by the publication quoted an internal memo which said that Amazon employees will migrate to Microsoft's cloud applications on a "rolling basis". Apple's HUGE iPhone makeover: iOS 26 & Liquid Glass Explained!
