Microsoft Research Asia refutes rumors that it will evacuate China and move to Canada: untrue

June 19 news: Recently, there are rumors that Microsoft is planning to move its only research institute in China, Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), out of China and move it to Vancouver, Canada. However, MSRA made it clear to Jiemian News: This news is not true.

In the middle of this month, the Financial Times reported that Beijing-based Microsoft Research Asia has begun seeking visas to move top artificial intelligence experts from Beijing to its research institute in Vancouver, four people familiar with the matter said. People familiar with the matter said the move could affect 20 to 40 employees. A person close to Microsoft said that Microsoft is setting up a new laboratory in Canada composed of experts from around the world.

According to a post published by Microsoft in September this year, Microsoft has 9,000 employees in China, more than 80% of whom are software engineers or engaged in research and development. The company also announced plans to hire an additional 1,000 employees in the country.

Microsoft Research Asia, established in 1998, is a research institution established by Microsoft in the Asia-Pacific region. It is worth mentioning that Microsoft Research Asia is the second basic research institution opened by Microsoft overseas. It is Microsoft's largest research institution outside the United States and one of only two basic research institutions in Asia. The other is Microsoft Research India. Through the vigorous cooperation of experts and scholars from different disciplines and backgrounds around the world, Microsoft Research Asia has developed into a world-class computer basic and applied research institution. It is understood that Microsoft Research Asia is engaged in research in the fields of natural user interface, intelligent multimedia, artificial intelligence, cloud and edge computing. It is committed to promoting the cutting-edge development of the scientific field and quickly transforming the latest research results into Microsoft's key products. Further improve the company's competitiveness.