Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is rebooting its push to sell software for cars with a new set of programs and services in a bid to keep up with rivals like Google and Apple that are expanding in auto technology. The company is shifting away from Windows in favor of a flexible approach that lets automakers pick the tech …
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is rebooting its push to sell software for cars with a new set of programs and services in a bid to keep up with rivals like Google and Apple that are expanding in auto technology. The company is shifting away from Windows in favor of a flexible approach that lets automakers pick the tech they need.
As quoted in the press release:
“We’re not getting into self-driving cars ourselves but we can be an important element of it by providing the platform,” said Microsoft’s business development chief Peggy Johnson, in an interview.
The Renault-Nissan alliance signed an agreement in September with Microsoft to work on car technology. The companies said Thursday that Renault-Nissan will be the first customer for Microsoft’s Connected Vehicle Platform, which provides carmakers with a set of services built on Microsoft’s Azure cloud. Available as a preview later this year, the system will collect sensor and usage data and help automakers build services that use that information along with Microsoft products like Cortana, Office and Skype.