Snowflake and Microsoft expand partnership for AI and Data Cloud

Snowflake, the Data Cloud company, has announced an expanded partnership with Microsoft aimed at bringing advanced generative AI models and enhanced machine learning capabilities to the Data Cloud. The collaboration will involve new integrations of products in areas such as AI, low code/no code application development, and data governance. Additionally, joint go-to-market strategies and field collaboration will be improved to directly deliver joint solutions to customers. As part of the partnership, Snowflake will increase its spending commitment on Microsoft Azure, with both companies working together to support go-to-market efforts.

According to Chris Degnan, Chief Revenue Officer at Snowflake, the partnership with Microsoft is evolving and focused on enhancing field collaboration to help customers leverage the next wave of generative AI. The integration of Snowflake’s platform with Microsoft’s generative AI and low code/no code services will enable joint customers to leverage the latest AI models and frameworks, ultimately increasing developer productivity.

Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Microsoft, emphasized that Microsoft is the trusted platform for enabling partners and customers to innovate securely, particularly in the realm of AI. Through the expanded partnership, Snowflake’s Data Cloud expertise will be combined with Microsoft’s cloud technologies and AI capabilities to assist customers across industries in building intelligent solutions for managing, understanding, and governing their data.

The strategic initiatives between Snowflake and Microsoft will empower data scientists and developers with industry-leading AI solutions. This includes building new integrations between the Data Cloud and Azure Machine Learning (ML), as well as leveraging integrations with Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Cognitive Services. The integration with Azure ML will enable joint customers to accelerate the entire development to production workflow for machine learning, providing access to the latest frameworks and integrated CI/CD capabilities. Both companies are also committed to enabling Snowflake customers to easily and securely utilize Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Cognitive Services with Snowflake data, allowing them to leverage the latest AI innovations and build intelligent data products.

Snowflake will further enhance customer experiences through seamless product integrations across various Microsoft offerings. These include Purview for data governance, Power Apps & Automate for low code/no code application development, Azure Data Factory for ELT (Extract, Load, Transform), Power BI for data visualization, and more.

One customer, John Plansky, Head of State Street Alpha, expressed the importance of timely access to a complex ecosystem of data for investment management decision-making. Plansky highlighted the partnership between State Street Alpha, Microsoft Azure Cloud, and Snowflake as enabling the aggregation of content at scale, integration with a large language model, and secure delivery of information to customers in near-real time. The collaboration aims to remove friction and provide an advanced analytical solution with a sophisticated user experience.

Overall, the expanded partnership between Snowflake and Microsoft signifies a joint effort to advance generative AI capabilities and machine learning in the Data Cloud, empowering customers across industries with intelligent data solutions.