TomTom Partners With Microsoft to Offer Location Data for Azure

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.

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation 11 comments

  • dcdevito

    04 February, 2019 - 1:15 pm

    <p>This strategy is becoming clearer every day: gain highly beneficial, advantageous and profitable partnerships via a robust platform (Azure) and not serve the end client directly. </p>

  • Bats

    04 February, 2019 - 1:44 pm

    <p>Is Satya channeling Steve Jobs in this photo? Funny, because unlike Jobs, Satya had accomplished anything yet for him to be silhouetted.</p>

    • dontbe evil

      05 February, 2019 - 12:52 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#401806">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p>"good artists copy, great artist steal" (s. job … ehm p. picasso)</p><p><br></p><p>yup jobs accomplished a lot of successfully stolen projects/ideas</p>

  • timo47

    Premium Member
    04 February, 2019 - 2:20 pm

    <p>TomTom has been going through a rough period ever since a number of car manufacturers dropped them for in car navigation in lieu of Google maps. So I'm sure this deal is very welcome for them. Also, clever from Microsoft to approach them at a time when they are vulnerable. </p><p><br></p><p>Yet I have to wonder what MS is planning to do with data. Bing Maps hasn't evolved in any meaningful way in the last couple of years. And without a mobile platform, the Maps app feels pretty dead as well. So what's the point? </p><p><br></p><p>And let's not forget that MS already had an arrangement for maps data with Here as well.</p><p><br></p><p>If MS were really serious about competing in the maps space, I would expect them to just buy Here and TomTom and come up with a serious competitor for Google Maps. Instead all these partnerships will probably just languish for a few years after which Nadella will come out and make the "courageous" decision to drop their own mapping solutions and just switch to Google maps.</p>

    • bart

      Premium Member
      04 February, 2019 - 2:43 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#401834">In reply to timo47:</a></em></blockquote><p>Here is owned by a consortium of car manufacturers. Think Audi, BMW and Mercedes. So Here is not for sale, I am sure you understand why.</p><p>Bing Maps needs a replacement for Here Maps data, TOMTOM is filling that void. Obviously MS could still partner with Here and have Here run on Azure instead of AWS. I am sure MS will take that opportunity if it arises</p>

  • Daekar

    04 February, 2019 - 3:04 pm

    <p>This is big for me. Google Maps is probably the best, most sticky service Google offers, and some competition for it that is actually viable is something I've been hoping to see for years now. Here Maps is acceptable, especially since it offers walking directions based on offline maps (Google Maps DOESN'T do that, ask me how I know), but the UI isn't as good and the voice directions don't sound as natural. Any competing mapping resource other than Google is a good thing in my book.</p>

    • Pierre Masse

      04 February, 2019 - 5:17 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#401853">In reply to Daekar:</a></em></blockquote><p>"Google Maps DOESN'T do that, ask me how I know".</p><p><br></p><p>How do you know?</p>

      • IanYates82

        Premium Member
        05 February, 2019 - 2:44 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#401883">In reply to Pierre Masse:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'm sure he read the manual, sent an email to customer support to clarify, and therefore never ended up in a situation where he was relying on it to work, since he tested his assumption beforehand.</p><p><br></p><p>I'm 100% sure that's how it went down ;)</p>

  • MutualCore

    04 February, 2019 - 4:50 pm

    <p>Good, then they can rebrand as 'Microsoft Maps' and launch on iOS/Android.</p>

    • rbgaynor

      04 February, 2019 - 5:59 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#401870">In reply to MutualCore:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Apple maps where I am in Southern California was always at least partially attributed to TomTom. Within the last couple of weeks Apple's new high quality mapping has gone live here and I would never want to have to go back to TomTom (or a mapping product based on TomTom).</p>

  • dontbe evil

    05 February, 2019 - 12:54 am

    <p>Is tomtom better than here maps?</p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC