Azure's performance places Microsoft firmly behind Amazon Web Services, which remains the global leader in cloud infrastructure with annual revenue exceeding $111 billion. However, Azure's growth

Microsoft significantly exceeded earnings expectations for the June quarter and disclosed its standalone annual Azure revenue for the first time — providing new clarity into how it stacks up against Amazon and Google in the cloud.

Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing business delivered another quarter of blockbuster growth on Wednesday, powering revenue above Wall Street's expectations and showcasing the growing returns on its massive artificial intelligence bets.