Battery technology hasn’t really made that many strides over the years. Incremental improvements, of course, have come into play, but in a lot of ways, batteries today are much the same as they were 20, even 30 years ago. That might be about to change with tech giant Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), which rose fractionally in the closing minutes of Tuesday’s trading on the strength of a new battery made with a little help from artificial intelligence.
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The whole thing started with a digital clock, but the battery powering the little digital clock was what really caught some attention. Created in an effort with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), an element of the Department of Energy, the batteries—contained in a CR2032 chassis, roughly the type found in a garage door opener—replaced roughly 70% of the lithium normally involved with a shockingly common element: sodium.
AI is a Growing Part of Microsoft
That by itself would be quite an advance, but the fact that AI was involved in the development of said battery only makes it better. Microsoft was also spotted working with Siemens to develop new projects for AI to tackle, working toward “cross-industry adoption.” In fact, the duo took their act to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) event in Las Vegas this week to show off what the combination of Siemens and Microsoft can do for AI end users.
Is Microsoft a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 36 Buys and one Hold assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 65.34% rally in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $426.73 per share implies 13.67% upside potential.
