Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sees mixed reality, artificial intelligence and quantum computing as the three key technologies that would shape the future in the decades to come.
Observing that computing history had been all about enhancing the man-machine interface, Mr. Nadella said on Tuesday, “It’s amazing… how we’ve made it much more natural and intuitive, to get more people to use computing.”
However, he added, the ultimate computing experience was what “I describe as mixed reality… the idea that you can now just in front of your eyes have both the real world and the virtual world and it can blend the two… In fact, one of the things that people are able to transcend space and time to collaborate. But just imagine this teleportation is no longer just Star Trek, it’s sort of possible.”
Talking about data and artificial intelligence, Mr. Nadella said, “The currency of our times will be our ability to collect data, but more importantly its ability to create intelligence or AI.”
Quantum computing would be the third, longer-term bet, he said. “We celebrate so much of our technological progress, but we also need to be clear eyed about some of the harder challenges that is computational in nature but yet not solved.”
Microsoft also announced a partnership with ride hailing app Ola to build a new-age ‘connected vehicle platform’ for car manufacturers worldwide.
