3 Months in 2025, 4 Waves of Mass Layoffs at Microsoft, Now Offices Shut Down Permanently
"A recent visit by the South China Morning Post confirmed that the office was dark, unoccupied, and had its logo removed."
Before April entered it was revealed that Microsoft had implemented yet more cuts: (getting news from China is harder)
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Microsoft shutters AI lab in Shanghai, signalling a broader pullback from China
Microsoft has closed its IoT & AI Insider Lab in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang hi-tech zone, marking the latest sign of the US tech giant’s retreat from China amid rising geopolitical tensions. The Shanghai lab, meant to help with domestic development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, closed earlier this year, according to people who work in the Zhangjiang AI Island area.
The lab was dark and unoccupied during a recent visit by the South China Morning Post, with the logo removed and office equipment cleared out. The area houses the offices of several Big Tech firms, including German chipmaker Infineon Technologies and Chinese internet search giant Baidu.
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Microsoft closes AI lab in Shanghai, signaling growing rift, SCMP reports
Amid growing geopolitical tensions, the latest indication of U.S. tech giant Microsoft’s (MSFT) retreat from China is the shuttering of its IoT & AI Insider Lab in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang hi-tech zone recently, writes the South China Morning Post.
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Microsoft Closes AI & IoT Lab in Shanghai as US-China Tech Tensions Rise
Microsoft has closed its IoT & AI Insider Lab in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Zone, marking another step in the tech giant’s gradual retreat from China as geopolitical tensions between the US and China continue to escalate.
The facility, which was launched in May 2019, aimed to support the development of Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in China. However, according to sources working in the Zhangjiang AI Island area, the lab was shut down earlier this year, either in January or February. A recent visit by the South China Morning Post confirmed that the office was dark, unoccupied, and had its logo removed.
But they keep saying 'AI' is the future. They used to say "cloud" and Internet of Things (IoT) were the future. What next then? Quantum hype? █