According to foreign media reports,MicrosoftrightOpenAIThe investment may lead toEuropean UnionThe Commission's antitrust investigation. The European Commission said it is investigating agreements between digital market participants and generative AI developers and providers, focusing on potential impacts on the market. But the Commission did not disclose specific company information.
The investigation also involves whether Microsoft's investment in OpenAI needs to be reviewed under the EU Merger Regulation. Foreign media said that this review may further evolve into a formal investigation to determine whether to approve the transaction unconditionally, require the company to make concessions before approving it, or even block the transaction.
OpenAI has received several rounds of funding from Microsoft since 2019, including an initial $1 billion investment in 2019 and tens of billions of dollars in investment last year. Microsoft has invested $13 billion since 2019 and holds a stake in OpenAI49%. Most of the funds ($10 billion) were provided through the collaboration announced by the two companies in January last year.
In addition to the $13 billion investment, Microsoft also joined OpenAI's board of directors as a non-voting observer. In addition, the UK Competition and Markets Authority and the US Federal Trade Commission have also launched similar reviews to determine whether these investments comply with relevant regulations.