Microsoft's Plan to Dominate Connected Cars

Microsoft has agreed to license its patents for Internet-connected cars to Toyota, its first such deal with an automaker and a signal that it may be willing to partner with others. The tech giant, which announced the deal on Wednesday afternoon, holds a treasure trove of patents that include car operating systems, Wi-Fi, motion sensors, voice recognition, and navigation. Cars are increasingly morphing into computers with wheels, and Microsoft sees the same opportunity that a number of other tech companies do, including Intel, Google, Qualcomm, and NXP. "The connected car represents an enormous opportunity for the auto industry, and at the core it's a software challenge," Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development at Microsoft, said in a statement Wednesday. Microsoft's patents for connected cars--a broad term for vehicles with Internet connectivity--includes tools to store and transfer files, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.