Microsoft is a clear winner from ChatGPT's super-viral Ghibli images, analysts say

Core Insights - A new AI trend involving OpenAI's ChatGPT-4o has led to a significant increase in user engagement, particularly with the Studio Ghibli style image generation feature [1][5] - Microsoft stands to benefit from the surge in ChatGPT users, as it is a major investor in OpenAI and integrates its technology into its products [2][3] - OpenAI recently closed a record $40 billion funding round, raising its valuation to $300 billion, a substantial increase from $157 billion in October [3] User Growth and Financial Impact - ChatGPT has seen explosive growth, adding one million users in just one hour, compared to five days at launch [5] - Weekly app downloads, active users, and revenue from subscriptions and in-app purchases reached all-time highs, with increases of 11%, 5%, and 6% respectively week-over-week [6] - Analysts suggest that the growth in ChatGPT users likely correlates with increased revenue for OpenAI, benefiting Microsoft as well [3] Market Opportunities - The demand for graphic processing units (GPUs) is expected to rise due to the popularity of the Ghibli trend, with companies like Nvidia, AMD, and Intel positioned to benefit [6] - OpenAI's need for GPU capacity could generate $1 billion to $2 billion annually for GPU providers [7] Stock Performance - Jefferies has a buy rating on Microsoft with a price target of $500, while the stock closed at $382, reflecting a 9.3% decline over the past year [4]