In a historic move, rivals Sony and Microsoft partner for gaming services, AI

Surprising everyone, rivals Microsoft and Sony have decided to collaborate together in order to develop cloud-based solutions for their respective game and content streaming services, along with exploring artificial intelligence.

Announcing about the partnership on Thursday, the firms claimed they are exploring a strategic partnership to focus on entertainment platforms including gaming, however the announcement did not specifically mention Microsoft’s Xbox or Sony’s PlayStation.

As part of the agreement, the tech firms will together develop future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure – a cloud computing service created by Microsoft for building, testing, deploying and managing apps and services through Microsoft-managed data centers.

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Sony might also use Microsoft Azure to support its game and content streaming services. Moreover, the efforts will also incorporate building better tools for content creators. “Sony has always been a leader in both entertainment and technology, and the collaboration we announced today builds on this history of innovation,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

The firms will partner on new innovations to ‘enhance customer experiences in their direct-to-consumer entertainment platforms and AI solution’, as per Microsoft. “Our partnership brings the power of Azure and Azure AI to Sony to deliver new gaming and entertainment experiences for customers,” Nadella continued.

Also, the companies will explore working in unison in the areas of semiconductors and artificial intelligence. For semiconductors, both the firms will focus on development of new intelligent image sensors, by integrating Sony’s image sensors with Microsoft’s Azure AI tech.

Talking about AI, both parties will explore incorporation of Microsoft’s advanced AI platform in Sony’s consumer products to give off highly intuitive user-friendly AI experiences that can help customers in their everyday lives.

“Our mission is to seamlessly evolve PlayStation as one that continues to deliver the best and most immersive entertainment experiences, together with a cloud environment that ensures the best possible experience, anytime, anywhere,” said Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida.