Big data—that buzzword seems to dominate information technology discussions these days. But big data is so much more than a clever catchphrase: it’s a reality that holds enormous potential. We now have the largest and most diversified volume of data in human history. And it’s…
Posted by George Thomas Jr. Addressing one of the core problems in statistics and machine learning, Microsoft researchers have developed a new, more efficient algorithm that enables exact sampling. Daniel Tarlow and Tom Minka Researchers Daniel Tarlow, Tom Minka, and former Microsoft intern Chris Maddison introduced…
Posted by Microsoft Research Our most popular blog posts of 2014 reflect the breadth of our research and our collaborative efforts across multiple product groups as well as with external organizations worldwide. Also see the top feature stories of 2014. Bringing Big-Data Dreams Down to…
Posted by Microsoft Research Machine learning and big data are certainly hot topics that emerged within the tech community in 2014. But what are the real-world implications for how we interpret what happens inside the data centers that churn through mountains of seemingly endless data?…
Research published in academic journals is trustworthy. Or is it? This question is being asked more and more these days. While few doubt the integrity of the researchers, many in the scientific community are concerned about the inability to reproduce experiments. If the work is…
The power of computing can go a long way toward solving some of the world’s most vexing problems. This is why we are committed to fostering the next generation of technology-savvy researchers, through programs such as the Microsoft Research Asia Fellowship Program. Launched in China…
Sign language has long been a tool used by many of the world’s estimated 360 million people with severe hearing loss. But since the majority of hearing individuals do not understand sign language, the hearing world does not always have the capability to engage in…
The Third International Women’s Hackathon is now in full swing, having launched on October 11, 2014. A unique crowdsourcing event designed to empower young women leaders in computer science, the hackathon provides a fun and safe environment in which participants explore computing as a means…
A year ago, the Microsoft Azure for Research project began as a small effort to help external researchers and scientists (and even Microsoft) understand how the cloud generally—and Microsoft Azure specifically—could accelerate research insights. Microsoft Azure for Research facilitates scholarly and scientific research by enabling…
Posted by Rob Knies In theory, the logic behind cloud computing seems undeniable: lots of data-center servers providing lots of computing power and storage to lots of customers. It’s the beauty of scale: Everybody wins—right?In practice, as you might guess, things get a bit more…
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become one of the hottest trends in higher education, providing access to high-quality classes from such elite universities as Stanford and MIT. MOOCs thus offer a new opportunity for self-directed learning for millions of students worldwide. However, most MOOC…
Posted by Rob Knies For years now, Microsoft researchers have been working with academics and scientists to unlock the riddles of quantum computing, a field that aims to merge the mysterious properties of quantum mechanics with computing. If achieved, a scalable quantum computer could rapidly…
