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Microsoft's helping hand to 100 startups

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Bill Gates, co-founder of microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks at a breakfast meeting with the theme "Dialogue: Technology & Innovation for a Sustainable Future" during the Boao Forum For Asia Annual Conference 2015 in Qionghai city, south Chinas Hainan province, 29 March 2015. [China.org.cn]

Microsoft Corp will offer 100 million yuan (US$16.1 million) worth of free cloud services and software tools to 100 Chinese startups to bolster its public cloud business, the company said Wednesday.

The US software giant will sign up 100 startup firms in China within six months. They will get Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud service, software and development tools for business. Microsoft and partners, including DCM and Gobi, may provide venture capital investment in the firms.

Microsoft's public cloud computing business in China was "much better than expected" last year, Ralph Haupter, chief executive of Microsoft China, said in a statement.

Amazon and Alibaba also offer public cloud services in China too.

Microsoft's revenue from Windows Azure in China rose 3.5 times in 2014, though no figures were given.

Microsoft has 50,000 enterprise clients since the company started a trial Windows Azure cloud service in 2013.

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