Flipkart to ride on Microsoft Azure's cloud in India

Indian marketplace, Flipkart, on Monday, announced that it will be adopting Microsoft Azure as its exclusive public cloud platform. The announcement came in the backdrop of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s India visit, who is wooing the Indian startups. Starting with computing infrastructure, Microsoft Azure will add a layer of advanced cloud technologies and analytics to Flipkart’s existing data centers. Flipkart plans to leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics capabilities in Azure, such as Cortana Intelligence Suite and Power BI, to optimize its data for innovative merchandising, advertising, marketing and customer service. “Combining Microsoft’s cloud platform and AI capabilities with Flipkart’s existing services and data assets, will enable Flipkart to accelerate its digital transformation in e-commerce and deliver new customer experiences,” Nadella said. Read More: What’s ailing Flipkart and Snapdeal the flag-bearers of e-commerce in India Binny Bansal, Group CEO and Co-Founder, Flipkart, added, “Given Microsoft’s strong reputation in cloud computing, coupled with scale and reliability, this partnership allows us to leverage our combined strength and knowledge of technology, e-commerce and markets to make online shopping more relevant and enriching for customers.” Microsoft, had last week, forged a partnership with Indian auto giant, Tata Motors to provide technology for the latter’s connected cars project — TAMO. TAMO vehicles will have Tata Motors’ user interface application and services suite utilizing Microsoft enabled functionalities like advanced navigation, predictive maintenance, telematics and remote monitoring features, using artificial intelligence (AI), advanced machine learning, and the Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities. All will of course be on Microsoft’s Azure cloud. Update: We had previously mentioned that Flipkart was previously using AWS services. AWS has clarified that “Flipkart was not on AWS to begin with, and therefore, there is no switch from AWS to Azure.”