Microsoft Research has donated $5 million in Azure cloud computing credits to The Alan Turning Institute. The company says the credits will help empower research at the institute. Microsoft made the announcement on Thursday through the official Microsoft Research blog.
With the $5 million in Azure credits, the Alan Turing Institute will be able to expand and advance data science. More than 100 research staff, statisticians, mathematicians and social scientists, can use Azure cloud services easily.
The Alan Turing Institute has headquarters in the British Library in London. The UK-based research group has bases in several universites. Labs are in the universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, University College London and Warwick. There is also a location at UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Speaking about the donation from Microsoft, Institute director Alan Blake said the credits will enhance data expansion:
“Azure cloud services will provide our data scientists with an easily accessible platform where they can prototype ideas with a fast turnaround of results, complementing local computing facilities available in the institute’s five founding universities, and national resources such as the supercomputer ARCHER supported by EPSRC. We are delighted that Microsoft is enabling access to Azure cloud services and supporting this crucial element of our research infrastructure”
Azure Credits
Microsoft explained is reasons for awarding the credits to the Alan Turning Institute. The company says it is interested to see how AI, machine learning, and data science research can be furthered. Giving researchers access to cloud services in Azure will help them manage their data and research.
Jeannette M. Wing, corporate vice president of Microsoft Research, added: “The Alan Turing Institute is a unique place where researchers from the U.K.’s top universities come together to push the boundaries of data science. This partnership with The Alan Turing Institute is a prime example of how Microsoft is investing in the global data science research ecosystem, and we look forward to seeing the results of this collaboration.”
