FPGA maker Xilinx has reportedly won orders from Microsoft's Azure cloud unit, replacing Intel processors.

Azure will use Xilinx chips as co-processors in more than half of its servers, winning business that has been an exclusive for Intel’s Altera unit, Bloomberg reports, citing "people who asked not to be identified.".

Xilinx declined to comment.

Microsoft said it will continue its relationship with Intel in its current offerings. But companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon.com are looking for alternatives to standard processors to increase the efficiency of their data centers.

Programmable silicon hav ebeen typically used in cell-phone base stations. Intel acquired Altera in 2015 to gain that capability and give its main Xeon server processors more flexibility.