• by Chuck Martin , October 10, 2018

Microsoft and on-demand transportation and mobile payments company Grab have formed a strategic partnership to transform the delivery of digital services and mobility in Southeast Asia.

The venture plans to leverage Microsoft’s machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities and Grab will adopt Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud platform, according to the announcement by Microsoft.

“Our partnership with Grab opens up new opportunities to innovate in both a rapidly evolving industry and growth region,” stated Peggy Johnson, executive vice president at Microsoft. “We’re excited to team up to transform the customer experience as well as enhance the delivery of digital services for the millions of users who rely on Grab for safe and affordable transport, food and package delivery, mobile payments, and financial services.”

Microsoft also will make a strategic investment in Grab, which operates in 235 cities, with Grab’s digital wallet GrabPay leading in the market.

To help improve passenger and driver safety, Grab plans to work with Microsoft on new authentication mechanisms, such as mobile facial recognition with built-in AI for drivers and customers as replacement for checking IDs.