優步將收購部分微軟地圖技術

Uber will acquire a portion of Microsoft’s maps technology and extend employment offers to around 100 engineers on Microsoft’s mapping team, the ride-hailing company said on Monday.

優步(Uber)於週一宣佈，將收購一部分微軟(Microsoft)的地圖技術，並向微軟地圖團隊的大約100名工程師提供工作機會。

Uber would not discuss the terms of the acquisition, which will bring it a data site outside Boulder, Colo., as well as cameras, image-analysis software and a license to the intellectual property.

收購將爲其帶來一個在科羅拉多州博爾德城外的數據中心，以及攝像頭、圖像分析軟件和知識產權許可。優步不會討論收購的具體條款。

“Mapping is at the heart of what makes Uber great,” Kristin Carvell, a company spokeswoman, said in a statement. “We’ll continue to work with partners, as well as invest in our own technology, to build the best possible experience for riders and drivers.”

“地圖對於優步的成功來說至關重要，”公司發言人克里絲汀·卡維爾(Kristin Carvell)在一份聲明中說。“我們將繼續與合作伙伴合作，同時投資我們自己的技術，爲乘客和司機帶來可能的最佳體驗。”

The deal, which was first reported by the technology blog TechCrunch, is the latest move in Uber’s quest to strengthen its mapping research efforts.

這一協議最早由科技博客TechCrunch報道，是優步在增強其地圖技術研究成果方面的最新進展。

Although most Uber services rely on digital maps, much of its interest in mapping is focused on how to improve its carpooling service, UberPool. While Uber relies heavily on mapping technology from Apple, Baidu and especially Google, the company has taken strides to bring as much mapping expertise in-house as possible.

儘管大部分優步的服務依賴數字地圖，但它在地圖方面的主要興趣集中在如何提升其拼車服務——UberPool。儘管優步嚴重依賴蘋果、百度，尤其是谷歌的地圖技術，但這家公司已在儘可能多地在發展自己的地圖專業技術。

In March, Uber acquired deCarta, a mapping technology start-up. Uber has also aggressively pursued mapping engineering talent throughout Silicon Valley.

3月，優步收購了一家地圖技術創業公司deCarta。同時，還在硅谷尋找地圖工程方面的人才。

And for months, Uber has been avidly competing to buy Nokia Here, the mapping division of the Finnish technology giant, in a deal that could be valued at up to $4 billion, according to several people with direct knowledge of the matter. A small number of bidders are still circling Nokia’s business, according to these people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations were not public.

數月以來，優步十分積極地競購芬蘭科技巨頭諾基亞(Nokia)的地圖部門諾基亞Here。據幾位對此事有第一手消息的人士透露，協議金額可能高達40億美元。據這幾位人士透露，爲數不多的競標者仍在覬覦諾基亞的業務。他們不願意透露姓名，因爲談判並不是公開的。

Despite interest from tech companies like Uber and a number of private equity firms, however, a consortium of German automakers — which rely on the mapping unit’s technology for their in-car services — are believed to be in the pole position to land the Nokia division, the people added.

這幾位人士補充稱，儘管有優步這樣的科技公司和一衆私募股權公司對這一項目感興趣，一個由德國汽車製造商組成的財團據信將在收購諾基亞地圖部門的競爭中處於有利位置，這些廠商的車載系統依賴地圖公司的技術。

In a statement, Microsoft said the deal on Monday was part of a broader strategy to focus on its core products.

在一份聲明中，微軟稱週一的協議符合其將重點轉移至核心產品的大戰略。

“In keeping with these efforts, we will no longer collect mapping imagery ourselves,” the company said, “and instead will continue to partner with premium content and imagery providers for underlying data while concentrating our resources on the core user experience. With this decision, we will transfer many of our imagery-acquisition operations to Uber.”

“爲了與這些努力保持一致，我們將不再自主收集地圖影像，”公司稱，“作爲替代，我們將繼續與優質內容和影像提供商合作以獲得底層數據，並將資源集中到核心用戶體驗上。基於這一決定，我們將把我們大量的影像獲取業務轉讓給優步。”