However, the tech giant lacks its own proprietary silicon chips and relies on other companies to produce these essential AI model components. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s other AI investments will be enough to uphold its legacy for another 50 years — or if it will fall behind other AI companies.

Even as he grows older, Microsoft founder Bill Gates still fondly remembers the catalytic computer code he wrote 50 years ago that opened up a new frontier in technology. Although the code that Gates printed out on a teletype machine may look crude compared to what's powering today's artificial intelligence platforms,

Microsoft is about to blow out 50 candles, and founder Bill Gates is taking a heartfelt detour down memory lane — straight back to the moment a scrappy bit of computer code helped launch a tech empire.