Microsoft Partners Aptos to Explore CBDCs
- Microsoft plans to rely on Aptos to train its AI models.
- Aptos will leverage Microsoft’s infrastructure to launch a new chatbot.
- Both companies plan to explore asset tokenization, payment options, and CBDCs.
Microsoft, one of the world’s technological powerhouses, is taking the next step into Web3. The tech tycoon, best known for its software and computing developments, is moving into blockchain technology, digital payments, and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).
Microsoft announced a partnership with blockchain platform Aptos on Wednesday. The partnership with Aptos will serve as a push for its Web3 ambitions. Aptos Labs is a layer 1 blockchain platform founded by former Facebook employees. The company plans to integrate Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) to provide solutions to both developers and users.
Aptos will leverage Microsoft’s infrastructure to launch new services that integrate blockchain and AI. One of these solutions is a chatbot called Aptos Assistant, which will respond to customer inquiries about the Aptos ecosystem and provide relevant resources and support to developers.
The chatbot service will reportedly be powered by Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service. Mo Shaikh, the CEO, and founder of Aptos Labs, noted that their partnership with Microsoft will provide much-needed solutions in their respective fields.
Shaikh said in a statement,
Artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies are quickly converging for one important reason: they are both generational breakthroughs that profoundly impact the evolution of the internet and shape society.
Shaikh expressed confidence in AI’s impact on the world. He noted that people can become “incredibly efficient in using these tools every day in our lives. Whether it’s searching and putting together an index of the best restaurants in your neighborhood or helping you write code for your job or research.”
Shaikh further stated that the collaboration with Microsoft would allow Microsoft’s AI models to be trained using verified data from Aptos’ blockchain.
Daniel An, global director of business development for AI and web3 at Microsoft, said the company was focused on the future, in which it predicts “that AI will be infused into web3 solutions at greater scale in the coming months and years.”
Microsoft to Explore Web3
The partnership also seeks to expand the use cases for blockchain. As a result, both companies plan to explore blockchain-based financial service products, including payment options and asset tokenization. Furthermore, Aptos will run validator nodes on Microsoft Azure to increase network security.
Providing more details on the partnership, Rashmi Misra, general manager of AI and emerging technologies at Microsoft, said,
By fusing Aptos Labs’ technology with Microsoft Azure Open AI Service capabilities, we aim to democratize the use of blockchain, enabling users to seamlessly on-board to Web3 and innovators to develop new exciting decentralized applications using AI.
The success of AI tools such as ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, and blockchain developers are quickly integrating AI into their apps and services. Additionally, venture capitalists are placing more emphasis on AI and seem to prioritize projects integrating elements of AI into their services.
It comes as no surprise that the Aptos token, APT, surged about 15% to $7.70 following today’s announcement.
Lawrence has covered some exciting stories in his career as a journalist, he finds blockchain-related stories very intriguing. He believes Web3 will change the world and wants everyone to be a part of it.
