Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) stock ended higher on July 20 after Microsoft @msft said it’s expanding its strategic partnership with the chipmaker.
MSFT plans on deploying AMD’s next-generation Helios Rackscale Solution within its Azure data centers, the hyperscaler revealed in a press release on Monday morning.
Microsoft’s disclosure arrives at a time when AMD shares are already in favor with investors. At the time of writing, they are trading at well over 2x their price at the start of 2026.

What We Know About the Expanded MSFT-AMD Deal
MSFT’s expanded collaboration brings AMD Helios to Azure data centers to power frontier model AI inference and Azure artificial intelligence services.
Scheduled for shipment in the second half of 2026, the Helios Rackscale Solution is an integrated platform engineered for massive-scale AI training and inference.
It seamlessly combines Advanced Micro Devices’ state-of-the-art Instinct MI455X accelerators, 6th Generation AMD EPYC “Venice” CPUs, Pensando networking technologies, and open ROCm software ecosystem.
Moreover, Azure is introducing two new virtual machine series — Azure HDv2 for agentic AI and Azure HXv2 for semiconductor design.
Both are powered by the new EPYC chips, equipping enterprise clients with significant workload flexibility and infrastructure scalability across the entire AI stack.
What the Microsoft Partnership Means for AMD Stock
The Microsoft deal is bullish for AMD shares, signaling accelerating adoption of the company’s hardware by top-tier cloud hyperscalers.
By securing MSFT as a key deployment partner for its comprehensive Helios Rackscale Solution, AMD is proving it can successfully transition from selling individual components to delivering complete, integrated AI platforms.
This would significantly increase AMD’s revenue per rack and solidify its competitive positioning in the rapidly growing, high-margin generative artificial intelligence market.
Note that Barchart currently has an “80% BUY” opinion on Advanced Micro Devices, indicating technical momentum also favors further upside ahead.
Wall Street Remains Largely Bullish on AMD Shares
Wall Street analysts view the deepening relationship with Microsoft as a powerful growth catalyst, providing AMD with a massive, reliable deployment channel for its Instinct MI455X accelerators while simultaneously driving expanded profit margins for its booming data center segment.
The consensus rating on AMD stock sits at "Strong Buy," with price targets as high as $755 signaling potential for another 50% rally from here.

On the date of publication, Wajeeh Khan did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.