Microsoft shook hands with Amazon to beat Google rival cloud computing

Microsoft and Amazon team up to put artificial intelligence on applications. The two companies have just launched a new tool for developers called Gluon.

Gluon new programming tool is released in open source format, meaning everyone can use, develop, contribute to the project. This helps ensure people are doing what they want because users are feature contributors.

But there is one more important reason for this interesting collaboration.

Machine learning and AI are major areas of interest in cloud computing, with the potential to dramatically change cloud services that Amazon and Microsoft have long dominated.

When it comes to AI and machine learning, Google still seems to have an advantage. They bet both cloud computing strategies on AI, believing that AI will be very important, that they can do well, overcoming Amazon and Microsoft to win in the 'cloud war'.

Common enemy

Google has made a head start thanks to a tool called TensorFlow, a free and open source tool that helps developers build applications based on machine learning. TensorFlow is used by many developers, is the 5th most popular project on GitHub (in number of stars), the site of hosting open source projects with more than 2 million products.

Although programmers don't need Google's cloud to use TensorFlow, it's so popular that Amazon's cloud also supports, but basically they still need to rely on Google if TensorFlow is important to them.

Amazon also has a competitor with TensorFlow, called MXNet. It works in Amazon's own way: technology support that its customers use, while still having versions that are completely controlled. This will help them make money in many ways.

Similarly, Microsoft also has a rival of TensorFlow, called CNTK.

Gluon's role is to add another layer to make it easier for MXNet and CNTK to use. Only Gluon version for MXNET is available but the CNTK version will be released soon.

Microsoft shook hands with Amazon to beat Google rival cloud computing Picture 1
Microsoft CEO and Amazon Satya Nadella and Jeff Bezos

Due to the popularity of TensorFlow, it 'has a similar class called Keras, extremely popular. So this will bring MXNET and CNTK on the same level as TensorFlow, 'Lukas Biewald, founder of CrowdFlower (a startup that helps create applications that use machine learning to know when a job can be automated, when needed. humans made) said.

When it comes to Gluon, the cooperation between Amazon and Microsoft is an example of the phrase 'the enemy of the enemy is you'.

'Gluon is an attempt by Microsoft and Amazon to achieve influence with AI tools,' said a programmer.

We love TensorFlow

Matt Wood, technology expert at Amazon, still insists on Amazon not trying to beat Google's tool. 'We love TensorFlow (and many developers also use it on AWS),' he wrote on Hacker News.

'As with databases, we support multiple engines on AWS, some of us (like Gluon), some of others like PyTorch or TensorFlow. They are all top products. We also invest in different groups (and competing) to turn AWS into the best place to run popular engines, 'he added.

There is also a reason for Amazon to create a common home for competitors in popular technology branches: giving the company more control.

Microsoft and Amazon are still known to work together in AI. In August, they announced they would let two virtual assistants, Microsoft's Cortana and Amazon's Alexa, become more friendly.

Anyway, competition for creating easier-to-use AI tools for developers is also supported by Biewald.