It’s not all Xbox vs PlayStation – Sony partners with Microsoft on smart camera technologies

Sony and Microsoft announced earlier today that they would be working together to produce significant advancements in the field of smart cameras and related video analytics.

The partnership will allow for Sony to implement Microsoft’s Azure AI tools in its IMX500 intelligent vision sensor which is used to analyse images for objects and information. A smart camera app powered by Microsoft’s Azure IoT and Cognitive Services will also be produced by Sony which will support the sensor and will allow businesses to create their own custom video analytics and computer vision solutions.

“Video analytics and smart cameras can drive better business insights and outcomes across a wide range of scenarios for businesses,” Microsoft’s corporate vice president and commercial chief marketing officer, Takeshi Numoto, said of the agreement. “Through this partnership, we’re combining Microsoft’s expertise in providing trusted, enterprise-grade AI and analytics solutions with Sony’s established leadership in the imaging sensors market to help uncover new opportunities for our mutual customers and partners.”

Sony and Microsoft are also expected to begin working with partners and businesses on projects relating to computer vision and video analytics later this year as part of Microsoft’s AI & IoT Insider Labs program.

While many consider the two companies to be rivals due to their competing PlayStation and Xbox video game consoles, this isn’t the first time that Microsoft and Sony have collaborated or shared technology.

Just last year, it was revealed that Sony’s game and content-streaming services would begin using Microsoft’s Azure datacenter-based solutions. In fact, it seems that this initial agreement laid the groundwork for today’s announcement which now adds context to some of the ambiguous mentions of future AI projects between the two companies.