Microsoft's in-house AI chip faces delay until 2026: Report

Microsoft’s upcoming Maia AI chip, internally codenamed “Braga,” is reportedly facing a delay of at least six months, pushing mass production to 2026 instead of the previously planned 2025 timeline. That’s according to a report from The Information, which cites three people familiar with the matter.

Once production begins, the Braga chip is expected to underperform compared to Nvidia’s Blackwell series, which debuted in late 2024, the report added.

Microsoft had initially aimed to deploy Braga in its data centres this year. However, according to the report, unexpected design changes, workforce limitations, and high staff turnover have contributed to the postponement.

Microsoft, like other major tech firms, has been investing in custom silicon to reduce dependence on Nvidia’s increasingly expensive AI chips. Developing proprietary processors for artificial intelligence and general-purpose computing is part of a broader strategy to optimise costs and performance in cloud infrastructure.

Competitors Amazon and Google have also been building in-house chips tailored to their cloud services. Google’s Tensor Processing Units have gained traction, with the company unveiling its seventh-generation AI chip in April 2025. Amazon, meanwhile, announced its next-gen Trainium3 chip in December 2024, which is expected to launch later this year.

Microsoft unveiled its Maia chip in November 2023, but has yet to scale production to match the pace set by its rivals.