Microsoft teams up with Cruise and GM on self-driving cars

Cruise and GM have enlisted an important ally in their quest to make self-driving cars a practical reality. The two have entered a "long-term strategic relationship" with Microsoft to speed up the commercialization of autonomous vehicles. Cruise will use Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to deliver self-driving tech "at scale," while Microsoft will draw on Cruise's know-how to serve transportation companies. GM will treat Microsoft as its preferred cloud provider, too. There's money involved, to no one's surprise.