15 Years On,
Microsoft Research Changing Face of Computing
Thousands of Research
Papers and Hundreds of Product Innovations by Microsoft Research Add Value Both
Inside and Outside the Company
26 Sep 2006 18:30 GMT
REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 26, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
From wide-ranging enhancements for the upcoming Microsoft(R) Windows Vista(TM)
operating system to data-mining innovations in SQL Server(TM) to powerful
anti-spam filters in Microsoft Office Outlook(R), Microsoft Research teams have
delivered hundreds of product innovations to Microsoft Corp. customers since
1991. Today at an event marking the research organization's 15th anniversary of
turning ideas into reality, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates appeared on screen as
Microsoft Research Senior Vice President Rick Rashid and leaders from academia
and industry gathered at the company's Redmond lab to recognize these successes
and preview new areas where Microsoft Research continues to influence the
future of computing.
"From the beginning, Microsoft Research has provided an
open, collaborative environment where the brightest minds in computer science
can work together to tackle the hardest problems in computing and explore new
ideas for reinventing the PC," Gates said. "During the past 15 years,
Microsoft researchers have contributed amazing breakthroughs and insights that
have advanced the state of the art in dozens of technology fields. Their work
is a clear reflection of Microsoft's commitment to innovation."
With more than 700 researchers at five laboratories
worldwide, Microsoft Research contributes to Microsoft products as well as
long-range technology advancements, often in collaboration with the academic
community. Microsoft researchers have made a significant global impact on the
collective knowledge of the greater software community, openly sharing their
research findings and new discoveries by publishing more than 3,700 academic
papers across 55 fields.
Technologies incubated in Microsoft Research have influenced
nearly every Microsoft product released since the early 1990s. Microsoft
Research made many contributions of technologies and overall design principles
to the upcoming Windows Vista operating system. Microsoft Research developed
methods and components that give Windows Vista the ability to anticipate a
user's actions and to use these inferences to speed up the system's
responsiveness. New desktop search technologies based upon prototypes developed
at Microsoft Research allow Windows Vista users to locate anything stored on
their computer with lightning quickness, and to unify the experience of
searching the Web and the desktop. Another key contribution by Microsoft
Research resulted in the development of Windows Media(R) Photo, a new format
that will bring the quality of digital photos much closer to that of film and
enable customers to put twice as many pictures on a memory card.
"I'm extremely proud that Microsoft has given our
researchers unwavering support to relentlessly pursue virtually any realm of
computing with no boundaries but the limits of their imaginations," Rashid
said. "Over the past 15 years, Microsoft Research has evolved into a
diverse organization of not only computer scientists, but also psychologists,
sociologists, anthropologists and medical doctors working to develop innovative
technology that will benefit people around the world."
During today's anniversary event at the Microsoft Research
main lab in Redmond, lab director and Corporate Vice President Dan Ling
moderated several demonstrations of the innovative technologies currently being
developed by research teams around the world that will take computing to new
levels of simplicity and usefulness. These include the following:
o
Visualization technologies that provide innovative ways to visualize and explore
the world, such as combining maps from Windows Live(TM) Local with other maps
of bus routes or bicycle trails to create entirely new hybrid maps
o Streaming
intelligence technologies that combine Web services, machine learning and
sensors to help mobile devices make useful predictions and inferences, such as
helping cell phones decide whether to interrupt users based on whether they're
in an important meeting or simply stuck in traffic
o Surface
computing technologies that do away with the mouse and monitor and allow images
and data to be displayed on tabletops, walls and other surfaces and manipulated
by making simple hand gestures
o Graphics
technologies that build on the lab's long-standing expertise in graphics to
create ever more realistic "virtual worlds" for users to explore
using the power of computing to transform two-dimensional images into
interactive 3-D experiences
Microsoft was one of the first software companies to create
its own computer-science research organization with the founding of Microsoft
Research in 1991. It continues to be unique among corporate research labs by
balancing an open academic model with an effective process for technology
transfer to Microsoft product development teams as well as to industry through
the intellectual property licensing program. By working independently from
product groups, Microsoft Research is free to focus on computer science
research and visions that are 10 to 15 years beyond current product cycles.
Through a variety of academic programs, Microsoft Research
collaborates with academia to create greater opportunities to pursue research
in a variety of disciplines from search to robotics, from bioinformatics to
gaming technologies. Microsoft Research and leading universities across the
globe are continually working together to advance the state of the art of
computing.
"Microsoft Research is extraordinarily supportive of
our student and faculty researchers, from collaborating with them on emerging
technologies in areas like 3-D photo tourism to creating opportunities for our
team to collaborate with researchers all over the world. Our students have
access to technology and resources that truly spark their imaginations and
drive their research to another level," said Mark Emmert, president of the
University of Washington. "Microsoft's commitment to higher education is
unsurpassed in the software industry."
Beyond its influence on a broad range of Microsoft product
innovations, Microsoft Research also enhances the overall IT ecosystem by
providing economic opportunities for other businesses. Through its IP Ventures
program, the research organization along with other parts of the company
licenses technology to selected startup companies that in turn develop and
market products on this foundation. To date, at least six startups have
launched successful products through the IP Ventures program, with more
expected in the coming months.
About Microsoft Research
Founded in 1991, Microsoft Research is dedicated to
conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software
engineering. Its goals are to enhance the user experience on computing devices,
reduce the cost of writing and maintaining software, and invent novel computing
technologies. Researchers focus on more than 55 areas of computing and
collaborate with leading academic, government and industry researchers to
advance the state of the art in such areas as graphics, speech recognition,
user-interface research, natural language processing, programming tools and
methodologies, operating systems and networking, and the mathematical sciences.
Microsoft Research employs more than 700 people in five labs located in
Redmond, Wash.; Silicon Valley, Calif.; Cambridge, England; Beijing, China; and
Bangalore, India. Microsoft Research collaborates openly with colleges and
universities worldwide to enhance the teaching and learning experience, inspire
technological innovation, and broadly advance the field of computer science.
More information can be found at http://www.research.microsoft.com/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
NOTE: Microsoft, Windows Vista, Outlook, Windows Media and
Windows Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein
may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Microsoft Corp.
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