Microsoft is a proud sponsor of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) lab, co-located in the building, as well as the Real-Time Intelligent Secure Explainable Systems (RISE) lab, and Simons Institute. It is geared toward driving interaction not only with the teams there, but also the local academic community. The space is specifically designed to drive collaboration in a modern, welcoming environment. We’ve assembled an amazing team of researchers and engineers in speech and natural language processing to work on this, and we look forward to deepening our connection to Berkeley’s learning culture.” “Think today’s technology, but without having to carefully memorize commands, or spell out every single step. “The future of human computer interaction is conversation-actual back and forth dialogues between you and a machine carried out in natural language,” says Hall. Using the power of machine learning, the technology they are working on will enable users to discover, access, and interact with information and services in a much more natural way, and with significantly less effort. David Hall, principal researcher at Semantic Machines, is focused on building a team that advances the state of conversational AI. Semantic Machines and Bonsai, now the Autonomous Systems team, are both dedicated to developing AI technologies that push innovation to the next level. joined Microsoft last year through acquisition. Two groups that will be located on the seventh floor at 1919 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, a renowned institution for research and education, complements the academic nature and learning mindset of the teams located here. This year Microsoft brought several AI and research-based teams together at a new site in Berkeley. (Location of Microsoft’s Berkeley office as of January 2020 © Jeremy Bittermann) Here are a few highlights across each of our locations: Berkeley office opening There is a lot to be excited about across the region as the Microsoft community grows. This, combined with our scale and talent at solving some of the most challenging problems, allows us to bring technology to people faster in a way that will improve their lives exponentially.” “It is permeating through our organization and we all have a shared sense of purpose. “Our superpower at Microsoft is our culture of empowering others,” he said at last year’s annual Employee Growth Conference. Microsoft has a key differentiator though, according to Chief Technology Officer and co-sponsor of the region, Kevin Scott. The Bay Area is of course home to many technology companies, large and small. We also take part in the thriving startup world through M12, our corporate venture fund, Microsoft for Startups, and acquisitions that help create community as well as support business goals.
The collective expertise across product groups brings together a diverse set of views and opinions that create a hyper-creative environment true to our engineering roots. Although there are many teams, all are dedicated to one mission of empowering others. The region is home to more than 30 different teams developing strategic products in the intelligent cloud, re-imagining hardware, empowering customers, and exploring new technologies like artificial intelligence. Each of these embody the entrepreneurial spirit of the Bay Area in a unique way.
Today, Microsoft has offices across Berkeley, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley. Now over 35 years later, the region is home to a vibrant community of Microsoft employees working across teams and products to drive forward innovation with impact. Microsoft started in the California Bay Area as a remote engineering site in Mountain View and a sales office in San Francisco.