Enterprise-level AI strategy accelerates! It is reported that Microsoft has signed a large order of 100,000 Copilot with Barclays

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Microsoft (MSFT.US) showcased its progress in enterprise-level AI business at the latest all-hands meeting, with a focus on the deal for 100,000 Copilot licenses reached with Barclays. Insiders revealed that Microsoft's Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff disclosed at the meeting that this British financial giant has signed a contract to purchase AI assistant services equivalent to 100,000 user seats. Based on the official price of $30 per user per month, this deal could have an annualized value of tens of millions of dollars—though the actual transaction price typically receives discounts due to bulk purchases. Althoff further revealed that dozens of corporate clients, including Accenture (ACN.US), Toyota (TM.US), Volkswagen Group, and Siemens, have internal Copilot user bases exceeding 100,000. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasized at the meeting that the company is closely tracking the actual usage rates of client employees, rather than merely pursuing sales figures. Although Microsoft declined to comment on this, and representatives from related companies did not respond to inquiries, the signals released from this internal meeting are clear: this tech giant is positioning the enterprise-level AI market as a core strategic battleground. As OpenAI's closest partner, Microsoft is viewed as a leader in the commercialization of AI, leveraging its deep integration of Copilot into productivity suites like Office. Earlier this year, the company estimated that its AI product matrix (covering cloud computing infrastructure and intelligent applications) could generate over $13 billion in annual revenue. However, Wall Street is still waiting for clearer financial validation—currently, Microsoft has only disclosed individual customer application cases and has not publicly revealed the total number of Copilot customers or specific revenue contributions. Feedback from the enterprise side indicates that deploying AI tools is not a simple technical procurement. Several interviewed companies stated that the implementation of Copilot requires accompanying organizational restructuring and employee training systems, with actual promotion generally taking a phased pilot approach rather than a full-scale rollout across the company. This cautious attitude stands in subtle contrast to Microsoft's aggressive market narrative. It is noteworthy that this business presentation occurred after Microsoft announced a global layoff of 6,000 employees (about 3% of its total workforce). Nadella specifically explained at the start of the meeting that this personnel optimization is part of a business restructuring initiative, primarily affecting the hardware manufacturing department, reflecting the transformation pressures faced by traditional tech positions in the era of artificial intelligence. This meeting, marked by a mix of highs and lows, showcases Microsoft's rapid advancement in the AI race while exposing the organizational pains brought about by technological change