Microsoft’s Military Empire

Microsoft is one of the most influential and successful tech companies in the world, with a market value of over $2 trillion. It is also one of the largest and most diversified suppliers of software and hardware to the US military, with contracts worth billions of dollars.

Microsoft’s military empire is not a recent phenomenon. It dates back to the 1990s, when it started to compete with IBM and other legacy vendors for government contracts. Since then, Microsoft has invested heavily in developing and acquiring cutting-edge technologies that can enhance the capabilities and efficiency of the US military.

Some examples of these technologies are:

• The JEDI cloud contract: This was a $10 billion deal awarded by the Department of Defense (DoD) in 2019 to Microsoft to provide cloud computing services for 10 years. However, this contract was canceled by the DoD in 2021 after facing opposition from Amazon, another tech giant that also bid for the contract. The main reason for the cancellation was that Amazon had more experience and expertise in cloud computing than Microsoft, which raised concerns about security and reliability.
• The HoloLens 2: This is a mixed reality headset that can project holograms onto a user’s field of view, creating an immersive and interactive experience for training, simulation, and collaboration with soldiers. The HoloLens 2 was first unveiled in 2019 at an event where Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella met with several military officials. The HoloLens 2 is expected to be used by various branches of the US military in the near future.
• The Azure cloud platform: This is Microsoft’s flagship cloud service that powers many of the DoD’s data centers and applications. Azure offers high-performance computing, storage, networking, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and other services that can support complex missions and operations. Azure also provides security features such as encryption, firewalls, identity management, and compliance tools that can protect sensitive data from cyberattacks.
• The GitHub Copilot AI tool: This is an AI-powered code assistant that can help developers write code faster and better. GitHub Copilot uses deep learning to suggest code snippets based on natural language queries or existing code context. GitHub Copilot can work with various programming languages such as Python, Java, C#, JavaScript, Ruby, Go, etc., as well as frameworks such as React, Angular, Django, Flask etc. GitHub Copilot was launched in early 2021 as a technical preview for select developers who signed up for early access. GitHub Copilot aims to democratize coding by making it easier for anyone to create software without having to learn complex syntax or tools.

According to some estimates, Microsoft has spent over $100 billion on defense-related activities since 20003, making it one of the top defense contractors in America.