3M (MMM.US) teams up with Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US) to jointly build AI infrastructure. The stock price rose more than 3% in early trading.

Industrial giant 3M (MMM.US) announced on Wednesday a new partnership agreement with Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US) to jointly promote the development of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Boosted by the news, 3M's stock price rose over 3% at the opening of trading on Wednesday. According to the statements released by both parties, Microsoft Corporation will combine its digital and hyperscale cloud infrastructure capabilities with 3M's strengths in materials science and precision manufacturing to accelerate the application of AI technology and strengthen the physical network infrastructure needed to support the growth of cloud computing and AI workloads. As part of this partnership, Microsoft Corporation will be the first major cloud service provider to adopt 3M's Expanded Beam Optics (EBO) optical interconnect technology. Compared to traditional connectors that require direct contact with fiber optics, EBO technology uses a non-contact optical interface, which can improve device installation speed, have stronger pollution resistance, reduce maintenance requirements, and enhance the reliability and operational efficiency of data center networks. Cliff Henson, Vice President of Cloud Supply Chain Enterprise at Microsoft Corporation, stated, "Microsoft Corporation is redefining the underlying architecture of cloud computing and AI infrastructure by combining its own innovation with technological advancements from partners like 3M to create data centers that are faster to deploy, more resilient, and can meet the demands of AI's large-scale development." He added that 3M's EBO solution will further enhance data center performance, reliability, and operational efficiency, providing customers with a more reliable, sustainable, and advanced cloud computing and AI operating environment.