Maia AI Chip Delayed: Microsoft’s Braga Chip Production Pushed to 2026

Maia AI chip, internally referred to as Braga, is reportedly experiencing delays, resulting in the shift of its mass production schedule to 2026, a significant shift from the previously anticipated timeline of 2025. This information has been confirmed by a report from The Information, which interviewed three individuals with knowledge of the situation.

Once the production of the Braga chip commences, it is expected to lag behind Nvidia’s Blackwell series, which is set to launch in late 2024, as per the report.

Challenges Faced by the Braga Chip Development

Initially, Microsoft had planned to roll out the Braga chip within its data centres this year. However, unforeseen design modifications, workforce challenges, and elevated turnover rates among staff members have contributed to the delay.

In a strategic move similar to other leading tech companies, Microsoft has been pouring investments into custom silicon to lessen reliance on Nvidia’s increasingly costly AI chips. The goal is to develop proprietary processors aimed at improving performance and cost efficiency within cloud infrastructure.

Industry Competitors in AI Chip Development

Other major players in the market, such as Amazon and Google, are also creating in-house chips specifically designed for their cloud services. Google’s Tensor Processing Units are gaining popularity, with the company set to reveal its seventh-generation AI chip in April 2025. Concurrently, Amazon introduced its upcoming Trainium3 chip in December 2024, which is anticipated to be released later this year.

The Maia chip was first presented by Microsoft in November 2023, yet the company has not yet been able to ramp up production to match the speed of its competitors.