Top Microsoft executives left to start a new AI company in China. Why?

New advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) will place ever-greater demands on computing power, and ever-faster chips to power the industry. Without such chips, AI firms will simply be unable to compete with the companies which can get them.

The export bans on the fastest and best-performing chips are intended to deny Chinese companies access to them, and thereby preclude them from building top AI technologies. However, top Microsoft executives left MSFT to start an AI company in Shanghai.

Why would a Microsoft Vice President, and its Chief Scientist, and a handful of others, be motivated to leave million-dollar careers to form an AI startup in China, if they could no longer access the world's best AI semiconductors, as they could at MSFT?

Resources and links:

Shanghai AI start-up founded by ex-Microsoft engineers bets on ‘scaling law’ to boost AI capabilities
https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3267420/shanghai-ai-start-founded-ex-microsoft-engineers-bets-scaling-law-boost-ai-capabilities


Reuters, Insight: China quietly recruits overseas chip talent as US tightens curbs
https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-quietly-recruits-overseas-chip-talent-us-tightens-curbs-2023-08-24/


China Is Losing the Chip War
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/06/china-microchip-technology-competition/678612/

CNBC, China is still years behind the U.S. despite Huawei’s breakthrough chips, Raimondo tells ’60 Minutes’
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/22/china-is-years-behind-us-chips-secretary-raimondo-tells-60-minutes-.html

Huawei reportedly keeps getting advanced chips, even as the U.S. tries to tighten the screws on China’s semiconductor industry
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/huawei-reportedly-keeps-getting-advanced-102148013.html

China Made a Chip Breakthrough That Shocked the World
https://omny.fm/shows/odd-lots/china-made-a-chip-breakthrough-that-shocked-the-wo