SpaceX, Microsoft Have Tested Azure And Starlink Together, Will Jointly Sell Services To Customers

SpaceX'south Principal Operating Officeholder Ms. Gwynne Shotwell during her talk with Microsoft's Tom Keene last year. Image: Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft Corporation announced yesterday that information technology was partnering upwards with SpaceX to connect its Azure cloud computing platform to the latter'due south Starlink internet constellation for providing customers access to Azure in remote locations. The company likewise confirmed that information technology had teamed up with SpaceX for developing missile-tracking satellites for the U.S. Department of Defence, in a contract that the astronautic company was awarded earlier this year.

For both these developments, SpaceX'southward Chief Operating Officer Ms. Gwynne Shotwell sabbatum with Microsoft's Corporate Vice President Azure Global Mr. Tom Keene yesterday for a brief discussion.

SpaceX Volition Work With Microsoft To Co-Sell Azure & Starlink To Mutual Customers

In the discussion, the SpaceX executive shared a couple of important details about her company'south partnership with Microsoft for the latter's Azure deject computing platform and on their collaboration for edifice missile-defense satellites for the Pentagon.

Microsoft'southward Keene opened the give-and-take by asking Ms. Shotwell to elaborate on how their companies' collaboration volition benefit Microsoft'south data heart customers. SpaceX's COO replied to this by stating that by integrating Starlink connectivity in its cloud offerings, Microsoft will provide new avenues to its customers. More importantly, she also highlighted that SpaceX will work with Microsoft to co-sell their services to the companies' existing customers and to new enterprise and public sector customers.

Her reply was as follows:

"So Tom, over the terminal few years nosotros accept been building out a giant constellation of satellites to deliver net across the earth. We can connect, via satellite links, any element on the Earth to another point on the World, which I think goes extremely well with the technologies that you're trying to build out, specially leveraging the Azure infrastructure. And the collaboration that nosotros're announcing today will let us to work together to deliver new offerings for both the public and the private sector, to deliver connectivity through Starlink for use on Azure. Where information technology makes sense, nosotros volition piece of work with you lot co-selling to our common customers, co-selling to new enterprise and future customers. And basically bring the power of Starlink connectivity to Azure infrastructure." [emphasis added]

SpaceX'due south Starlink World Station in Conrad, Montana. The company filed for the station's license in Baronial last year and the FCC granted its approval a month later in September. Paradigm: villete/Reddit

Microsoft Worked As A Subcontractor With SpaceX During Latter'south Contract Bidding For Missile-Tracking Satellites

Ms.  Shotwell was then asked about the new capabilities that her company volition add to Azure. At this front, the executive highlighted how SpaceX and Microsoft have co-developed software for Starlink and Azure compatibility and how her company'southward satellite-based internet will expand connectivity for Azure.

According to her:

"So y'all [Keene] recognized early what this could bring to enhance your capabilities and provide a great feel for your customers. And we've been working over the last few months together to figure out how this can work. Nosotros've been jointly developing software, testing Starlink and Azure working together [emphasis added]. So I think that'due south worked out really well. So Starlink brings point-to-point communication from anywhere on World. So leveraging that along with Azure I think is really an incredible, robust capability for our customers."

A key tenet of Microsoft's new Azure Infinite initiative is a Modular Datacenter (MDC). Microsoft intends to utilise this to provide its cloud customers with the capability to connect to their own base stations, Azure base stations, or to compute workloads either on the (remote) site or on the Azure cloud.

When asked well-nigh Starlink's compatibility with the MDCs, SpaceX'due south executive stated:

"Tom that is the perfect case on how leveraging Microsoft's infrastructure and adequacy with the Starlink's betoken-to-indicate communication is the perfect example of how that provides an extraordinary capability for our customers. Basically, you have a middle, a capability you put anywhere on Earth y'all need to go that data somewhere else, and having a satellite-based system you lot can get there without cobweb. Yous don't demand fiber, you basically talk to the satellites that we take in orbit. The satellites will talk to each other and get that data to the other point on Earth where it'due south needed."

A crucial, withal underreported component of yesterday's declaration by Microsoft was it teaming up with SpaceX for the Pentagon'south Space Development Agency'due south missile-detection satellite contract. SpaceX was awarded this contract for building four satellites earlier this month, with deliveries of the spacecraft expected to take place in 2020.

During the talk, Ms. Shotwell stated that SpaceX was happy to accept Microsoft every bit a subcontractor for the program. Co-ordinate to her:

"We were so pleased to be awarded that contract, and we were pleased that Microsoft was on our team. We will be delivering to the authorities a number of satellites that host the capability to protect confronting ballistic weapons, and nosotros were really proud to have Microsoft on our team there.  Microsoft will be doing quite a bit of piece of work, as a subcontractor which I call up is kind of a funny twist to the relationship here."

The partnership between the ii companies opens up an important artery for SpaceX'due south Starlink internet constellation, which until now has been thought of largely for providing everyday consumers with net admission. Past joining forces with Microsoft, SpaceX opens up the critical enterprise employ-case scenario for the constellation, which will not only generate critical revenues for the early on-phase internet startup (revenues which SpaceX chief Elon Musk believes are crucial for a company's public listing) but also provide it with an aura of credibility needed for potential investors and dealings with the Federal Communications Committee (FCC).

Source: https://wccftech.com/spacex-microsoft-azure-starlink-sell-customers/

Posted by: mcculloughaskild.blogspot.com

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