Microsoft reveals Azure cloud sales in financial reporting shift

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 2 : Microsoft on Wednesday reported sales from its Azure cloud computing unit on a quarterly basis for the first time, providing a direct comparison to its top rivals Amazon.com and Alphabet's Google as the three compete in the computing market amid an AI data center boom.Microsoft said that Azure had $29.4 billion in sales in its most recently ended quarter and $101.9 billion in sales in its most recent fiscal year ended June 30. The figures place Microsoft behind Amazon, whose cloud sales were $42.2 billion in its most recent quarter, but ahead of Google, which reported $24.8 billion in cloud sales in its most recent quarter.Microsoft previously reported a closely watched growth rate for Azure but not its sales. Microsoft will move from three reporting segments to two