Coca-Cola signs $1.1 bln deal to use Microsoft cloud, AI services

Coca-Cola signs $1.

• Microsoft and Coca-Cola had signed a $1.1 billion 5-year deal to use its artificial intelligence assistant Copilot and cloud computing service Azure.
• The two companies will jointly experiment with Azure OpenAI and test Microsoft’s Copilot to help summarise lengthy email discussions and build slide decks for business presentations

Microsoft said on Tuesday that Coca-Cola had signed a $1.1 billion 5-year deal to use its artificial intelligence assistant Copilot and cloud computing service Azure.

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Jointly experiment to improve AI service

Coca-Cola would test Microsoft’s Copilot, an AI assistant that can help summarise lengthy email discussions and build slide decks for business presentations among its many functions, to see how the tools improve productivity for the beverage maker.

Under the agreement, Microsoft and Coca-Cola will also “jointly experiment” with Azure OpenAI. That service uses technology from Microsoft-backed startup and ChatGPT creator OpenAI to let customers build chatbots and other AI services that run in Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing service.

Based on an equally long-term one worth $250 million to use Microsoft’s cloud and business software in 2020, the deal announced Wednesday also includes Coca-Cola expanding its use of other, conventional Microsoft software such as Dynamics 365, which is used by sales professionals and competitors against Salesforce.

Microsoft did not specify the financial breakdown of this time’s $1.1 billion Coca-Cola deal in terms of the dollar amount attributable to AI services versus traditional cloud software.