TomTom and Microsoft are announcing a major new partnership this week. TomTom is partnering with Microsoft to work on Azure while choosing Azure as its preferred cloud provider.

As part of the partnership, TomTom will be providing its location data for Microsoft Azure and Bing Maps. Microsoft will then be using the data provided by TomTom for a range of its location-based services, including products like Azure Maps and Bing Maps. Microsoft said the company’s partnership with TomTom is “very different” from anything Microsoft has done in maps before.

TomTom will be using Azure to host their own services, and bringing their data to Azure will help Azure customers who rely heavily on location data that are constantly changing.

The deal is beneficial for both the companies. Microsoft’s Azure is growing ever so rapidly, and there is a clear demand for Azure. TomTom giving its location data to Azure will make Microsoft’s maps much better, an area where the company has never really shined (i.e. HERE Maps). And for TomTom, getting its services powered by Azure will help with the performance of the company’s services, and Microsoft is likely paying a lot for access to TomTom’s maps data, too.

Tagged with Azure Maps, Bing Maps, Microsoft, TomTom