3M (MMM.US) and Microsoft (MSFT.US) join hands to build AI infrastructure stock prices rose more than 3% at the beginning of the market

The Zhitong Finance App learned that industrial giant 3M (MMM.US) announced on Wednesday that it has reached a new cooperation agreement with Microsoft (MSFT.US), and the two sides will jointly promote the development of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Boosted by the news, 3M's stock price rose more than 3% at the beginning of the Wednesday session.

According to statements issued by both parties, Microsoft will combine its digital and hyperscale cloud infrastructure capabilities with 3M's advantages in materials science and precision manufacturing to accelerate the application of AI technology and strengthen the physical network infrastructure needed to support the growth of cloud computing and AI workloads.

As part of this partnership, Microsoft will be the first hyperscale cloud service provider to use 3M extended beam (EBO) optical connectivity technology. Compared with traditional connectors that require direct contact with the end face of the optical fiber, EBO technology uses a contactless optical interface, which can improve equipment installation speed and have stronger anti-pollution capabilities, thereby reducing maintenance requirements and improving the reliability and operational efficiency of data center networks.

Cliff Henson, vice president of Microsoft's cloud supply chain enterprise, said, “Microsoft is redefining the underlying architecture of cloud computing and AI infrastructure, combining its own innovation with technological advancements from partners such as 3M to create data centers that are faster to deploy, more resilient, and meet the large-scale development needs of AI.”

He said that 3M's EBO solution will further improve the performance, reliability and operational efficiency of data centers, and provide customers with a more reliable, sustainable and advanced cloud computing and AI operating environment.