Microsoft, Sony Team Up To Work On Gaming Experiences, AI Solutions

Sony Corporation SNE and Microsoft Corp. MSFT announced Thursday afternoon they will partner up on consumer entertainment platforms and artificial intelligence products.

What To Know

This strategic partnership will explore joint development of future cloud solutions in Microsoft Azure to support their respective game and content-streaming services.

"Sony has always been a leader in both entertainment and technology, and the collaboration we announced today builds on this history of innovation," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Our partnership brings the power of Azure and Azure AI to Sony to deliver new gaming and entertainment experiences for customers."

The companies will also explore collaboration in the areas of semiconductors and AI, according to the press release. For semiconductors, this includes potential joint development of new intelligent image sensor solutions.

Why It's Important

Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox are direct competitors in the video game console market.

Sony shares are trading up 4 percent to $51.89 Thursday afternoon. Microsoft shares were trading at $128.89.

Video game publishers Activision-Blizzard ATVI and Electronic Arts EA ticked slightly lower immediately following the news, but have pared the initial losses.

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Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO, Sony (left), and Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. Courtesy photo.