Microsoft vs. Amazon: Which AI Cloud Stock Converts Capex Into Profits Better?

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) are spending at extraordinary scale to own the AI cloud. Their valuations are surprisingly close: Microsoft trades near 25.3 times forward earnings, while Amazon is around 27.7 times. The harder question is which company is turning those infrastructure dollars into better economics. That question has become more important as both companies deepen their model partnerships and physical buildouts. Amazon's OpenAI investment put real equity and cloud exposure behind its AI strategy, while both hyperscalers are now running into physical constraints that money alone cannot instantly solve. The better stock therefore depends on how efficiently each converts capacity into durable profit.