Microsoft Acquires AI Startup Bonsai to Boost Cloud Offerings

Microsoft purchases Bonsai, a startup specializing in reinforcement learning, to enhance its Azure cloud platform. The acquisition supports Microsoft's ongoing strategy to commercialize artificial intelligence for enterprise customers.

20 Jun 2018 • 1 min read

Microsoft acquires artificial intelligence startup Bonsai to strengthen its position in the commercial AI market. The tech giant does not disclose the financial terms of the deal, which adds a proven AI product to Microsoft's growing portfolio. This move aligns with the company's broader strategy to bring internal research concepts to enterprise customers.

Bonsai develops software that utilizes reinforcement learning, a method that trains AI systems to improve through trial and error. Experts highlight key areas in data to build models that integrate smoothly into corporate applications. Microsoft plans to optimize this technology to run seamlessly on its Azure public cloud infrastructure.

The 42-person startup brings valuable industry experience from sectors like oil, robotics, and automotive systems. For example, Bonsai's collaboration with Siemens automates a manual process thirty times faster than before. This acquisition follows Microsoft's previous purchases of AI-focused companies like Maluuba and SwiftKey.

Qilin Ransomware Gang Exploits Critical Palo Alto VPN Flaw

The Qilin ransomware gang actively exploits a critical PAN-OS GlobalProtect authentication bypass vulnerability to breach corporate networks and deploy ransomware. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2026-0257, allows attackers to bypass security restrictions and establish unauthorized VPN connections on unpatched devices. Palo Alto Networks patched the vulnerability on May 13, but threat

22 Jul 2026 1 min read

Deezer Reports AI-Generated Music Now Exceeds Half of All Daily Uploads

Music streaming service Deezer reports that AI-generated tracks now account for more than half of all daily uploads on its platform, reaching a peak monthly average of 90,000 tracks per day in June 2026. The figure represents a dramatic escalation from just 10% of daily uploads in January 2025,

21 Jul 2026 1 min read

Data Centers on Track to Consume 20% of U.S. Electricity by 2035

Data centers in the United States are on pace to consume four times more electricity by 2035, accounting for roughly one-fifth of all power generated in the country, according to a new report from BloombergNEF. The surge is largely driven by explosive growth in artificial intelligence compute, with nearly half

21 Jul 2026 1 min read

Sign up