SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. on Thursday said they struck a strategic partnership in which Sony would use Microsoft’s cloud for streaming games and media and the two would work together to develop image sensors.
The deal is in its early stages, with many specifics yet to be determined. But the owners of two major consumer interactive entertainment franchises — Microsoft’s Xbox platform and Sony’s PlayStation — would collaborate to stream games and content to consumers and offer game makers new development tools.
“For many years, Microsoft has been a key business partner for us, though of course the two companies have also been competing in some areas,” Sony Chief Executive Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement. “I believe that our joint development of future cloud solutions will contribute greatly to the advancement of interactive content.”
Sony shares jumped nearly 11 percent as Asian markets opened. Microsoft’s stock closed up 2 percent on Thursday.
Sony’s deal with Microsoft comes at a time when the Japanese firm’s gaming business is losing some steam as its PlayStation 4 (PS4) console nears the end of its life.
Analysts widely expect Sony to launch a next-generation console in 2020 to replace the five-year old PS4, but for this year at least Sony has flagged a drop in profit.
For Microsoft, the deal bolsters its Azure cloud computing business, which helped push its market value past $1 trillion last month. It also helps the Redmond, Washington-based company counter cloud-market leader Amazon.com Inc’s Amazon Web Services.
Amazon has also jumped into the gaming market, offering game makers new technology tools, and with its nearly $1 billion acquisition of Twitch, a major destination for gamers to watch other players competing in the e-sports market.
Japan’s Sony is also a major supplier of camera chips for smartphones and other devices.
Sony and Microsoft said they will potentially develop new image sensor chips that use Microsoft’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology for business customers. The two companies did not specify how the chips would be used.
Intelligent cameras are currently being used in applications such as spotting defective items coming off manufacturing lines with greater accuracy than human inspectors.
Sony and Microsoft said they would explore how to use Microsoft’s AI tools in Sony’s consumer products “to provide highly intuitive and user-friendly AI experiences.”
Microsoft’s technology for tasks like recognizing images and understanding human speech is widely believed to be competitive with better-known rivals such Alphabet Inc’s Google, but its focus on business customers has left it fewer outlets for technology that consumers touch. Sony, by contrast, makes a wide range of televisions, phones and other consumer devices.
“Sony has always been a leader in both entertainment and technology, and the collaboration we announced today builds on this history of innovation,” Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in a statement.
Microsoft, Sony partner on streaming games, chips and AI
Microsoft, Sony partner on streaming games, chips and AI
- The deal is in its early stages, with many specifics yet to be determined
- The two would collaborate to stream games and content to consumers and offer game makers new development tools
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
