Global media company Axel Springer, in a transformative move, has partnered with Microsoft Azure to revolutionize the way people engage with news online. This dynamic partnership, as revealed in a recent joint press release, encompasses a wide spectrum of areas, including artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, advertising, and content distribution, promising a brighter future for news consumption.

Axel Springer is set to migrate its SAP solutions and a selection of its cloud-based applications to Microsoft Azure, a move that will streamline its digital operations and embrace the efficiency and reliability of cloud-native technologies on Microsoft's Azure platform, ensuring a seamless and trustworthy experience for its users. 

Mathias Döpfner, Axel Springer's CEO, stressed the importance of partnerships in adapting to the digital era, saying, "We're optimistic about the future of journalism and the opportunities we can unlock through this expanded partnership with Microsoft." 

Microsoft and Axel Springer Boost News with AI Chat and Premium Access

One of the most exciting outcomes of this collaboration is the introduction of an AI-powered chat feature.

By leveraging Azure's advanced AI capabilities, Axel Springer intends to offer users a more personalized and engaging news experience. Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, emphasized the potential of this partnership to create new and exciting experiences for both advertisers and users.

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Additionally, Axel Springer plans to utilize Microsoft Advertising's Chat Ads API to generate revenue from the new chat-based platform. This means that advertisements will seamlessly integrate into the chat interface, providing a non-intrusive way to support the news publisher financially.

According to Reuters, the collaboration will expand on Axel Springer initiatives such as its AI assistant "Hey_," which is powered by Azure OpenAI Service.

Furthermore, the expanded partnership means users will have more comprehensive access to Axel Springer's premium content across Microsoft Start-MSN. This includes content from popular brands like Business Insider, POLITICO, BILD, and WELT. 

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