GM and its autonomous driving subsidiary Cruise have entered a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft which they hope will accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles. The companies say the partnership will bring together their software and hardware engineering resources, cloud computing capabilities, manufacturing expertise and partner ecosystem.
“Our mission to bring safer, better and more affordable transportation to everyone isn’t just a tech race – it’s also a trust race,” stated Cruise CEO Dan Ammann. “Microsoft, as the gold standard in the trustworthy democratization of technology, will be a force multiplier for us as we commercialize our fleet of self-driving, all-electric, shared vehicles.”
To make best use of cloud computing resources for self-driving vehicles, Cruise will leverage Azure, Microsoft’s cloud and edge computing platform, to help it commercialize autonomous vehicle solutions at scale. Microsoft, as Cruise’s preferred cloud provider, will also tap into Cruise’s industry expertise to enhance its customer-driven product innovation in the transportation arena.
“Microsoft is a great addition to the team as we drive toward a future world of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion,” remarked GM chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “Microsoft will help us accelerate the commercialization of Cruise’s all-electric, self-driving vehicles and help GM realize even more benefits from cloud computing as we launch 30 new electric vehicles globally by 2025 and create new businesses and services to drive growth.”
