The revelation came in the software giant's end-of-year earnings report. The company also said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit was $34.3 billion, or $3.65 per share, beating analyst expectations for $3.37 per share.
It posted revenue of $76.4 billion in the April-June period, up 18% from last year. Analysts polled by FactSet Research had been looking for revenue of $73.86 billion.
Microsoft launched Azure more than a decade ago, but the product has increasingly become intertwined with its AI ambitions, as the company looks to sell its AI chatbot and other tools to big business customers that are also reliant on its core online services.
But building the infrastructure to power cloud and AI technology is expensive, and Microsoft has looked for savings elsewhere. It has announced layoffs of about 15,000 workers this year even as its profits have soared.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told employees last week the layoffs were “weighing heavily” on him but also positioned them as an opportunity to reimagine the company’s mission for an AI era.
Still, the overall workforce numbers haven't changed. The company said it employed 228,000 full-time employees as of June 30, the exact same amount it reported a year ago, though slightly more of them are now U.S.-based and fewer of them are in product support roles or consulting services.
Promises of a leaner approach have been welcomed on Wall Street, especially as Microsoft and other tech giants are trying to justify huge amounts of capital spending to pay for the data centers, chips and other components required to power AI technology.
Google said after releasing its earnings last week it would raise its budget for capital expenditures by an additional $10 billion to $85 billion. Microsoft is expected to outline similar guidance soon.
Microsoft didn't disclose Wednesday to what extent sweeping U.S. tariffs are affecting its revenue, but its annual report lists tariffs among a number of risks the company faces.
“Increased geopolitical instabilities and changing U.S. administration priorities create an unpredictable trade landscape,” the company said. It also said the "volatility of U.S. tariffs has triggered economic uncertainty and could impact cloud and devices supply chain cost competitiveness."