GE and Microsoft announce partnership involving industrial software.
The joint effort is initially focused on oil and gas and mining companies, but may also be extended to other companies that operate with Microsoft software.
(Reuters)- General Electric and Microsoft are expected to announce a deeper partnership involving GE's Predix industrial internet platform and Microsoft's Azure cloud platform, a senior GE executive said.
The agreement greatly expanded the integration of Microsoft's cloud software with GE's Predix applications, Bill Ruh, CEO of GE Digital, told Reuters late Tuesday.
Predix is a software platform developed by GE that connects industrial equipment, such as jet engines and power plants, to computers that can predict failures and reduce operating costs.
The partnership, which will be announced this Wednesday by GE CEO John Flannery and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, comes days after GE struck a deal with Apple.
The joint effort is initially focused on oil and gas and mining companies, but could also be extended to other companies that operate with Microsoft software, which includes the vast majority of industries, Ruh said. He did not provide further details.
By Alwyn Scott