Google wants FTC to stop Microsoft's cloud partnership with OpenAI

Google has asked the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Microsoft's exclusive cloud service partnership with OpenAI. The Information (via Reuters) reports the conversation happened while the watchdog questioned Google on Microsoft's practices for a broader investigation. 

The Microsoft OpenAI partnership began in 2019 with an initial billion-dollar investment that has since ballooned to $13 billion. In exchange, Microsoft gets exclusive rights to host OpenAI services on its cloud platform. Microsoft even stepped in to stop Sam Altman's ouster last year. 

Founded in 2015, OpenAI started as a non-profit research company, but the waters muddled with the introduction of OpenAI Global in 2019, a for-profit subsidiary. 

According to a report from The Financial Times, OpenAI is now considering removing an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) clause in their contract that would have seen them withhold access to more advanced models to Microsoft in a bid for more investment. OpenAI recently launched a $200 subscription plan called ChatGPT Pro for researchers and engineers. 

Companies that compete with Microsoft in the cloud space, like Google or Amazon, need to rent out Microsoft's servers, even if they are only interested in OpenAI technology. Microsoft's competitors say that this will increase costs for customers.