AI Disruption

AI Disruption

AI Showdown: The Ambitions of Amazon, Microsoft and Google

How Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are taking three different paths in the AI race: infrastructure, software, and the physical world.

Meng Li's avatar
Meng Li
Mar 18, 2026
∙ Paid

“AI Disruption” Publication 9200 Subscriptions 20% Discount Offer Link.


When Artificial Intelligence Enters the “Heavy-Asset Race Phase,” the Industry’s Compass Is Undergoing a Subtle Yet Profound Shift.

In the past, the market was obsessed with who released the model with the largest parameters first and who launched the most stunning demo. But now, what truly separates the winners from the losers is no longer who ships a model first, but who clearly understands where exactly they intend to make money.

As computing power costs rise exponentially and energy bottlenecks become increasingly evident, AI competition has evolved from a pure code contest into a comprehensive showdown involving capital, energy, and supply chains. The latest moves by Amazon, Microsoft, and Google reveal three distinctly different answers. These three tech giants stand at a crossroads, each pointing in a different direction—infrastructure, software reconstruction, and the physical substrate—mapping out the far more complex survival logic of AI’s second half.

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Meng Li.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 Meng Li · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture