Microsoft Sells OpenAI Models in China; ByteDance Set to Spend Over $1B a Year

Microsoft has built a large AI business selling OpenAI models to Chinese companies via Azure, and its biggest customer, ByteDance, is on track to spend more than $1 billion a year on its AI and cloud services, according to a report. As Bloomberg reported on June 17, 2026, ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, has become Microsoft's largest AI customer, relying primarily on OpenAI models, while Ant Group, Meituan and Tencent Holdings also use AI models through Azure (Bloomberg).