Maia 200 Powers OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 in Microsoft Azure

Maia 200 Chipset for AI Inference is Microsoft’s latest breakthrough in custom silicon, officially announced on January 26, 2026. Built specifically to run advanced AI models like OpenAI’s GPT-5.2, the chip represents a major leap in making AI more affordable and efficient for businesses worldwide.

Key Points

• Microsoft launched the Maia 200 AI accelerator on January 26, 2026, delivering 30% better price-performance than previous-generation hardware
• The chip runs OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 models across Microsoft Foundry and Microsoft 365 Copilot services
• Built on TSMC’s 3-nanometer process with 140+ billion transistors and 216GB of high-speed memory
• Already deployed in Microsoft’s Des Moines, Iowa data center, with Phoenix, Arizona location coming next
• Delivers 10+ petaFLOPS of computing power while using less energy than alternatives

Background

Since announcing its first custom AI chip in 2023, Microsoft has been working to reduce its dependence on expensive third-party processors while improving the economics of running massive AI models. The Maia 200 follows the original Maia 100 but focuses specifically on AI inference—the process of actually running trained models to generate responses, which accounts for the majority of ongoing AI costs for cloud providers (ℹ️ Microsoft Official Blog).

What Happened

On January 26, 2026, Microsoft officially unveiled the Maia 200, a custom-designed AI accelerator chip optimized for running large language models. According to Scott Guthrie, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President of Cloud + AI, the chip represents “the most efficient inference system Microsoft has ever deployed.” (ℹ️ Microsoft Official Blog)

The Maia 200 Chipset for AI Inference packs impressive specifications:

• 140+ billion transistors on TSMC’s advanced 3nm manufacturing process
• 216 GB of HBM3e memory delivering 7 TB/s bandwidth
• Over 10 petaFLOPS of 4-bit precision performance
• 272MB of on-chip SRAM for faster data processing
• 750-watt power envelope for energy efficiency

Microsoft confirmed the chip will power GPT-5.2 models from OpenAI, which were announced in December 2025 as OpenAI’s most capable models for professional work (ℹ️ OpenAI).

Why It Matters

The announcement addresses one of the biggest challenges in AI today: cost. Running advanced AI models requires enormous computing resources, and inference costs continue as long as the service operates. Microsoft’s custom silicon approach delivers 30% better performance per dollar compared to current hardware, making AI more accessible to businesses (ℹ️ CNBC).

For everyday users, the innovation means faster responses in Microsoft 365 Copilot and more sophisticated AI capabilities at lower costs. Enterprises using Microsoft Foundry will benefit from running GPT-5.2 models more efficiently, enabling complex workflows like automated spreadsheet creation, presentation building, and advanced coding assistance.

The chip’s ability to connect 6,144 accelerators together means Microsoft can run even the largest AI models, including those with trillions of parameters, preparing the infrastructure for next-generation AI systems (ℹ️ The Register).

What’s Next

Microsoft’s Maia 200 is already operational in the company’s Des Moines, Iowa, data center. The Phoenix, Arizona, facility will receive the chips next, with additional global deployments planned throughout 2026 (ℹ️ Microsoft Official Blog).

Developers, AI startups, and academic institutions can now apply for early access to the Maia SDK (software development kit), which includes tools for optimizing AI models specifically for the Maia 200 Chipset for AI Inference. The SDK features PyTorch integration, a specialized compiler, and simulation tools to help developers maximize performance.

Microsoft’s Superintelligence team will use the chips for synthetic data generation and reinforcement learning, contributing to the development of even more advanced AI models in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Maia 200 different from regular AI chips?
The Maia 200 is specifically optimized for AI inference rather than training, making it more efficient for running already-trained models like GPT-5.2. It uses specialized low-precision computing and custom networking to deliver better performance per dollar.

Will this make AI cheaper for regular users?
Yes. The 30% cost improvement means Microsoft can provide AI services more affordably, though exact pricing changes haven’t been announced yet.

Can other companies use Maia 200?
Currently, Maia 200 is exclusive to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Developers can optimize their models for Maia through the SDK, but the hardware itself runs only in Microsoft data centers.

References

• Source: Microsoft Official Blog—Published on January 26, 2026
  Original article: https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/01/26/maia-200-the-ai-accelerator-built-for-inference/
• Microsoft Official Blog: “Maia 200: The AI accelerator built for inference” (January 26, 2026)
• CNBC: “Microsoft reveals Maia 200 AI chip, will use it in-house” (January 26, 2026)
• The Register: “Microsoft looks to drive down AI infra costs with Maia 200” (January 26, 2026)
• OpenAI: “Introducing GPT-5.2” (December 11, 2025)
• Yahoo Finance: “Microsoft Launches Maia 200 AI Chip for Faster Model Inference” (January 26, 2026)