General Motor’s self-driving car subsidiary Cruise said on Tuesday it would partner with Microsoft to accelerate the commercialization of driverless vehicles.
Microsoft will join GM, Honda Motor Co and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2 billion in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation of the San Francisco-based startup to $30 billion.
Cruise will use Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, for its self-driving vehicles.
Other automakers, including Volkswagen and Toyota Motor Corp, have used Azure for operations and services other than self-driving.
GM will work with Microsoft to accelerate the automaker’s digitization initiatives, including artificial intelligence, and explore opportunities to streamline operations across digital supply chains and bring new mobility services, including robotaxis and last-mile deliveries, to customers faster.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft and GM. Yet more proof that two wrongs don’t make a right. What’ll this dynamic duo name the first model, Corvair? Or maybe Zune?