Microsoft Licenses Toyota Connected Car Technology

Microsoft Corporation has a new licensing agreement with Toyota Corporation that includes broad coverage for connected car technologies needed for autonomous vehicles. Today’s agreement builds on a previous ones going back to 2011 that include their collaboration on the Azure-based Toyota Big Data Center. Whether customers will accept Giant Smartphones on wheels remains an open question.

“Microsoft invests $11.4 billion annually in research and development and for more than 30 years has been developing innovative technologies that are powering today’s connected car experiences,” said Erich Andersen, corporate vice president and chief IP counsel of Microsoft’s Intellectual Property Group. Microsoft Technology Licensing was formed in 2014 to acquire, manage and license its patent portfolio.

Thus far, it appears it has little to show for spending of cash generated by its core businesses in software for computers, servers and Office.

“We don’t make cars; we are working closely with today’s car companies to help them meet customer demands said Andersen,

All the usual benefits were claimed – faster innovation, connected car experiences, customer satisfaction. Toyota Connected is the carmaker’s data science hub as it seeks to connect cars to using Microsoft’s Azure

IP Licensing

The patent agreement is an of the role intellectual property (IP) plays in the automobile business as auto companies rush toward semi- and then fully-autonomous cars. Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing program in December 2003, it has entered more than 1,200 licensing agreements.

Microsoft Technology Licensing was formed in 2014 to acquire, manage and license its patent portfolio.

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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One Response to Microsoft Licenses Toyota Connected Car Technology

  1. Pingback: Breathing? Toyota Connected Cabin Awareness Uses 4D Radar | AutoInformed

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