The shift to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated enterprises' switch to cloud-based computing, benefiting Microsoft and rivals such as Amazon.com Inc's cloud unit and Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud. Microsoft said revenue in its "Intelligent Cloud" segment rose 23% to $14.6 billion, with 50% growth in Azure. The previous quarter Azure grew 48%. Xbox hardware sales were up 86% despite the shortages, and Hood said growth is likely to continue, with older models also contributing to sales. Microsoft said Xbox content and services revenue grew 40% in the quarter.

Source: Hindustan Times January 27, 2021 02:35 UTC