{"id":164116,"date":"2021-01-27T14:24:57","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T11:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-microsofts-self-driving-car-strategy-is-quietly-brilliant\/"},"modified":"2021-01-27T14:24:57","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T11:24:57","slug":"why-microsofts-self-driving-car-strategy-is-quietly-brilliant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-microsofts-self-driving-car-strategy-is-quietly-brilliant\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why Microsoft\u2019s self-driving car strategy is quietly brilliant"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3000c953598\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3000c953598\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-microsofts-self-driving-car-strategy-is-quietly-brilliant\/#Self-driving_cars_from_the_AI_business_perspective\" >Self-driving cars from the AI business perspective<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-microsofts-self-driving-car-strategy-is-quietly-brilliant\/#How_does_Microsofts_self-driving_car_strategy_fare_against_others\" >How does Microsoft\u2019s self-driving car strategy fare against others<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-microsofts-self-driving-car-strategy-is-quietly-brilliant\/#Why_Microsofts_strategy_can_succeed\" >Why Microsoft\u2019s strategy can succeed<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Why Microsoft\u2019s self-driving car strategy is quietly brilliant<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n                                Self-driving car startup Cruise has received more than $2 billion in a new round of investment from Microsoft, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Motors, Honda, and institutional investors, according to a joint statement by Cruise, its owner GM, and Microsoft on Tuesday. The investment will bring the valuation of Cruise to $30 billion and make Microsoft an official partner.<\/p>\n<p>Per<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/2021\/01\/19\/cruise-and-gm-team-up-with-microsoft-to-commercialize-self-driving-vehicles\/\">Tuesday\u2019s announcement<\/a>: \u201cTo unlock the potential of cloud computing for self-driving vehicles, Cruise will leverage Azure, Microsoft\u2019s cloud and edge computing platform, to commercialize its unique autonomous vehicle solutions at scale. Microsoft, as Cruise\u2019s preferred cloud provider, will also\u00a0tap into Cruise\u2019s deep industry expertise\u00a0\u00a0to enhance its <span style=\"background-color: rgba(46, 146, 255, 0.2);\">customer-driven<\/span>\u00a0product innovation and\u00a0serve transportation companies across the globe\u00a0through continued investment in Azure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, Cruise will get the much-needed funds to conduct research and (possibly discounted) access to Microsoft\u2019s cloud computing resources and move closer toward its goal of launching a purpose-built self-driving car.<\/p>\n<p>But in the long run, Microsoft stands to gain more from the deal. Not only will it get two very lucrative customers for its cloud business (Azure will also become GM\u2019s preferred cloud provider, also per the announcement), but when seen in the broader context of Microsoft\u2019s self-driving car strategy, \u201cCruise\u2019s deep industry expertise\u201d will possibly give Microsoft a solid foothold into the future of the still-volatile self-driving car industry.<\/p>\n<p>At a time where most major tech companies are interested in acquiring self-driving car startups or launch their own initiatives, Microsoft\u2019s hands-off <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach can eventually turn it into an industry leader.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9325 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" alt=\"Microsoft Cruise General Motors\" width=\"696\" height=\"348\" data-attachment-id=\"9325\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2021\/01\/21\/microsoft-self-driving-car-strategy\/microsoft-cruise-gm\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?fit=1920%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1920,960\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{\" aperture=\"\" data-image-title=\"Microsoft Cruise General Motors\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?fit=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?fit=696%2C348&amp;ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=696%2C348&amp;ssl=1\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=1024%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=768%2C384&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=1536%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=696%2C348&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=1068%2C534&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?resize=840%2C420&amp;ssl=1 840w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Microsoft-cruise-gm.jpg?w=1392&amp;ssl=1 1392w\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Self-driving_cars_from_the_AI_business_perspective\"><\/span>Self-driving cars from the AI business perspective<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Self-driving cars can be viewed as a specialized case of<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2020\/12\/02\/competing-in-the-age-of-ai\/\">artificial intelligence business<\/a>. Every company running on AI algorithms\u2014namely<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2017\/08\/28\/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-deep-learning\/\">machine learning<\/a>\u2014must bring together a few key pieces to have a viable business model:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<strong>Algorithms<\/strong>: The company must either use existing machine learning algorithms or research new architectures that suit the problem.<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Data<\/strong>: The company must have a sound infrastructure that consolidates disparate data sources. It must also have ways to collect and store fresh data from customers to continue to maintain and tune its models and maintain the edge over competitors.<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Compute resources<\/strong>: The company will need access to large compute clusters and specialized hardware to train and update its machine learning models and to provide cloud-based inference at scale.<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Talent<\/strong>: The company needs data scientists, data engineers, and machine learning engineers to develop and maintain AI models and research new techniques.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Microsoft already has a solid AI stack and a full range of products that fit in this category. For instance, the company\u2019s<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2019\/01\/14\/what-is-computer-vision\/\">computer vision<\/a>\u00a0service runs on machine learning models developed by the company\u2019s engineers. The models were trained using the company\u2019s vast store of image data. As customers use the AI service, they generate more data and labels to further enhance the machine learning models. Finally, Microsoft\u2019s Azure cloud has specialized hardware to both train the models and deliver them at scale and in a cost-efficient manner.<\/p>\n<p>Many companies use Microsoft\u2019s Cognitive Services APIs to integrate AI capabilities into their applications.<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft can also engage in any kind of venture that builds on this AI stack, such as launching its own end-to-end computer vision applications or hosting advanced natural language processing platforms such as<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2020\/09\/24\/microsoft-openai-gpt-3-license\/\">OpenAI\u2019s GPT-3<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to self-driving cars, however, a few new components are added to the mix:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<strong>Autonomous driving hardware<\/strong>: The company must develop lidars, sensors, cameras, and<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2018\/09\/17\/self-driving-cars-ai-computer-vision\/\">other hardware that enable self-driving features<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>\n<strong>Vehicle<\/strong>: The company must either manufacture its own vehicle or find a manufacturing partner to integrate the self-driving car gear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Self-driving cars introduce new manufacturing and legal challenges that would challenge a company that is mainly in the software business. There are a few ways companies overcome these challenges.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_Microsofts_self-driving_car_strategy_fare_against_others\"><\/span>How does Microsoft\u2019s self-driving car strategy fare against others<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Exclusive look at Cruise\u2019s first fully driverless car\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X3E7p4S_1m4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The traditional way to enter an emerging market is to either build it yourself or buy it from someone else.<\/p>\n<p>Google developed its own self-driving car lab in the late 2000s, which it later renamed Waymo. Waymo develops AI software and hardware for autonomous driving. Google does not manufacture its own cars and relies on the vehicles of other carmakers such as Toyota, Audi, Fiat Chrysler, and Lexus to test and deploy its <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But Google had a head start, which allowed it to create its own self-driving car unit from scratch. Other companies that entered the field later made up for their tardiness by acquiring self-driving car startups. Examples include<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2020\/06\/26\/amazon-to-acquire-autonomous-driving-startup-zoox\/\">Amazon\u2019s acquisition of Zoox<\/a>\u00a0and Intel\u2019s acquisition of<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2017\/03\/13\/reports-intel-buying-mobileye-for-up-to-16b-to-expand-in-self-driving-tech\/\">MobileEye<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Tesla is among the few who have a complete self-driving car stack. The electric carmaker has autonomous driving technology integrated into its electric vehicles. It also has millions of sold cars that are constantly collecting fresh data to further enhance its algorithms. Apple also has plans to manufacture<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2020\/12\/30\/apple-self-driving-car-business\/\">its own self-driving car<\/a>, though the full details have yet to emerge.<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft approach to the self-driving car industry is different.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe partner across the industry. We are not in the business of making vehicles or delivering end mobility as a service offerings,\u201d Sanjay Ravi, General Manager of Automotive Industry at Microsoft, wrote in a<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/08\/microsoft-expands-its-automotive-partner-ecosystem-to-power-the-future-of-mobility\/\">blog post<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>that laid out Microsoft\u2019s automotive strategy in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of acquiring startups and test-driving cars in cities, Microsoft\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/startups.microsoft.com\/en-us\/driving\/\">has a program to support self-driving car startups<\/a>\u00a0by providing them engineering support and discounted access to cloud services. These startups can become potential Microsoft partners in the future. In October, Microsoft entered a partnership agreement with<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/2020\/10\/22\/wayve-chooses-microsoft-azure-to-scale-ai-based-autonomous-driving-technology\/\">Wayve<\/a>, a London-based developer of self-driving car software that was part of Microsoft\u2019s start-up program. Cruise is the second self-driving car company Microsoft is partnering with. Microsoft also has partnerships with several carmakers to provide them with cloud services.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Microsofts_strategy_can_succeed\"><\/span>Why Microsoft\u2019s strategy can succeed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7857 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" alt=\"full autonomous vehicle level 5 self-driving car prototype\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" data-attachment-id=\"7857\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2020\/07\/29\/self-driving-tesla-car-deep-learning\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?fit=3600%2C2700&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"3600,2700\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{\" aperture=\"\" data-image-title=\"full autonomous vehicle level 5 self-driving car prototype\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?fit=696%2C522&amp;ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=696%2C522&amp;ssl=1\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=80%2C60&amp;ssl=1 80w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=265%2C198&amp;ssl=1 265w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=696%2C522&amp;ssl=1 696w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=1068%2C801&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=560%2C420&amp;ssl=1 560w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/bdtechtalks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/full-autonomous-vehicle-level-5-self-driving-car-prototype.jpg?w=1392&amp;ssl=1 1392w\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>The problem with the self-driving car industry is that we still don\u2019t know when we will get there. Every year, we\u2019re missing new deadlines on having fully autonomous cars on roads. But like the<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2019\/07\/22\/general-ai-driverless-cars-impossible\/\">quest for artificial general intelligence<\/a>, we know that we have a bumpy and potentially long road ahead.<\/p>\n<p>We also don\u2019t know what the final technology will look like. Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes that<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2020\/07\/29\/self-driving-tesla-car-deep-learning\/\">computer vision alone will be enough to reach full autonomy<\/a>. Other companies are banking on lidar technology becoming more affordable and stable in the future. Car design will also undergo changes as the industry matures.<\/p>\n<p>Another issue is the regulations of self-driving cars. Will self-driving cars be allowed to share the road with human drivers? Will they only be allowed in specific, geo-fenced areas? How will culpability be determined in case of accidents?<\/p>\n<p>Every one of these areas can undergo fundamental changes, and those changes will be decisive in determining which startups will flourish and which collapse in the coming years. Interestingly, the one thing that will likely remain constant is data, cloud, and software, the three areas where Microsoft already excels at.<\/p>\n<p>And this is why Microsoft\u2019s strategy of not acquiring startups will protect the company against the industry\u2019s volatility.<\/p>\n<p>For one thing, partnership is a flexible format that is well suited for the quickly evolving self-driving car space. Entering a partnership is faster and more affordable than a full acquisition (compare the $2 billion partnership with a full $30 billion acquisition of Cruise, if it was possible at all). At the same time, leaving a partnership is much easier than<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/cars\/2020\/12\/uber-sells-self-driving-project-to-startup-aurora\/\">having to scrap and sell an entire self-driving unit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, small investments allow Microsoft to cast a wider net and become engaged in a diverse range of solutions through its self-driving startup accelerator program and its partnership agreements. Already, the roster of startups included in Microsoft\u2019s self-driving startup program represents a diverse set of research areas and directions. Any of them can become breakthrough solutions in the future. While Microsoft supports these startups, it will also tap into their industry expertise and develop its own in-house talent and tools. This will be very crucial if and when Microsoft considers making a more serious move in developing self-driving cars.<\/p>\n<p>As the field matures and potential winners become more evident, Microsoft will be in a better position to upgrade its relationship with startups into full partnership and eventual acquisition.<\/p>\n<p>And if<span>\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2020\/08\/17\/openai-gpt-3-commercial-ai\/\">Microsoft\u2019s partnership with OpenAI<\/a>\u00a0is any indication, a lot of the investment that Microsoft makes into startups is in Azure credits, which makes sure those startups become locked into Microsoft\u2019s cloud service instead of going with other cloud providers.<\/p>\n<p>So in a broader scale, Microsoft\u2019s wide range of partnerships will enable it to become a growing hub to attract self-driving car startups. It will use the expertise and experience of these startups to enhance its cloud and AI services for autonomous driving, and in turn attract more customers.<\/p>\n<p>Many analysts think Microsoft is lagging in the self-driving car space by not having an active program to test cars in cities. I think that the company has made a smart move to solidify its position in things that will remain constant (cloud, data, and algorithms) while developing a strategy that will allow it to adapt to the inevitable changes that will overcome the industry in the coming years.<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article was originally published by Ben Dickson on <\/span><\/i><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TechTalks<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a publication that examines trends in technology, how they affect the way we live and do business, and the problems they solve. But we also discuss the evil side of technology, the darker implications of new tech and what we need to look out for. You can read the original article <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bdtechtalks.com\/2021\/01\/21\/microsoft-self-driving-car-strategy\/\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.polestar.com\/nl\/polestar-and-shift?utm_medium=pp&amp;utm_source=dp&amp;utm_campaign=pcid_3450_41261_85609_351306_p_nl_1local_pp_dp&amp;utm_content=ad\"><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1308892 aligncenter lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"220\" height=\"100\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 220px) 100vw, 220px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos.png\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos.png 3003w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos-280x127.png 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos-540x245.png 540w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos-270x123.png 270w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos-796x361.png 796w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/07\/Polestar_wordmark_pos-1592x723.png 1592w\"\/><\/figure>\n<p><\/a><br \/><i><span>SHIFT is brought to you by Polestar. It\u2019s time to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility. That is why Polestar combines electric driving with cutting-edge design and thrilling performance.<\/span><\/i> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.polestar.com\/nl\/polestar-and-shift?utm_medium=pp&amp;utm_source=dp&amp;utm_campaign=pcid_3450_41261_85609_351306_p_nl_1local_pp_dp&amp;utm_content=ad\"><i><span>Find out how<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-post-pubDate\">\n                                    Published January 27, 2021 \u2014 11:24 UTC\n                                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script data-src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;appId=378011798897423&amp;version=v2.6\" id=\"socialSrcFacebook\" type=\"text\/template\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/shift\/2021\/01\/27\/why-microsofts-self-driving-car-strategy-is-quietly-brilliant-syndication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Why Microsoft\u2019s self-driving car strategy is quietly brilliant&#8221; Self-driving car startup Cruise has received more than $2 billion in a new round of investment from Microsoft, General Motors, Honda, and institutional investors, according to a joint statement by Cruise, its owner GM, and Microsoft on Tuesday. The investment will bring the valuation of Cruise to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":164117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/shift?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/01\/1-copy-56.jpg&signature=3312764a531b80c3f4e5ccc391d210f8","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-164116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}