Pedro Hernandez

Microsoft is spending $50 million over the next five years on making artificial intelligence technologies (AI) available to researchers and organizations that are working to protect and improve the environment. The initiative is part of an expansion of the software giant’s AI for Earth program. First announced in July, the environmental technology initially was primarily […]

Microsoft wants developers to get an early start on quantum programming with the release of its Quantum Development Kit, currently in beta. First announced in September during the Microsoft Ignite conference, the kit includes the Q# (Q-sharp) programming language and a simulator for developers interested in creating programs for quantum computers, even if they’re not […]

Azure Container Service is now abbreviated AKS, reflecting its Kubernetes-centric approach Microsoft is taking in helping its business customers build and develop cloud-native applications. But the software maker isn’t stopping there. Using the KubeCon conference (Dec. 6-8) as a backdrop, Microsoft unveiled its latest efforts to bring serverless computing and DevOps capabilities to users of […]

Microsoft’s intensifying focus on the education technology market seems to be paying off. Over the past few years, schools and a fair number of enterprises have been flocking to Chromebooks. The devices, which are powered by Google’s Chrome OS and can now run Android applications, frequently offered an affordably-priced alternative to Windows laptops. Starting at […]

Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX), the open-source format for artificial intelligence framework interoperability, is now production-ready, according to project partners Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon Web Services. The version 1.0 release is a major milestone in helping to make the AI software ecosystem more accessible to developers and the enterprises that ultimately deploy their systems. Originally […]

Microsoft has launched a 3D asset optimization service called Simplygon Cloud, which the software giant says will enable people to view 3D images and video without special hardware. Simplygon Cloud’s origins can be traced back to Microsoft’s deal to buy Simplygon, the Swedish maker of automatic 3D optimization software, in January for an undisclosed amount. […]

Microsoft Azure’s B-Series virtual machines, a set of “burstable” cloud instances, have shed their preview status are now generally available, meaning the company’s cloud customers can use the offerings for their production workloads. First appearing as a beta release in September, B-Series instances are a money-saving alternative to overpaying for resources that are rarely used […]

The wait is nearly over for PCs that are powered by Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon mobile processors and can run full versions of Windows 10. Nearly a year after first announcing that Windows on Arm PCs were in the works, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Asus officially took the wraps off “Always Connected PCs” on Dec. 5 […]

Microsoft is taking a whiteboard experience like the one that ships with its Surface Hub hardware and making it available to Windows 10 users. Not all businesses have the budget or room for a Surface Hub digital white board display with a starting price of about $7,000, but there’s a good chance that their users […]

Microsoft Dec. 5 took the wraps off a new software-as-a-service offering called IoT Central that’s aimed at helping enterprises hit the ground running when they embark on their Internet of Things development projects. Although Microsoft already offers its cloud-based Azure IoT Suite, getting started on an IoT implementation can still be a challenge for many […]