Rideshare company Uber recently bought a Colorado data center outside Boulder from Microsoft in order to strengthen its map imaging operations. With the sale, Microsoft will cease collecting mapping data.
Along with the Colorado data center, Uber also acquired 100 Microsoft employees to assist with image collection and navigation systems, cameras, software and a license for Microsoft intellectual property. These assets will help the company continue to build on its mapping operations, but other details have not been released about the acquisition.
"[W]e will no longer collect mapping imagery ourselves, and instead will continue to partner with premium content and imagery providers for underlying data while concentrating our resources on the core user experience," said a Microsoft spokesperson. "With this decision, we will transfer many of our imagery acquisition operations to Uber."
This is the latest in a line of acquisitions by Uber in pursuit of better mapping operations. The company also purchased deCarta, a software mapping company, in March. In May, Uber attempted to acquire Nokia's Here Now technology with Chinese company Baidu for $3 million.
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