Empowering local innovation and growth towards a better future
December 22, 2020 | Microsoft Stories Asia
By Alain Crozier, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Chairman and CEO of Greater China Region
2020 has been an extraordinary year for the world, including China. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation beyond our expectations, and our customers and partners across industries have been impacted in their own ways.
At Microsoft, we see the world going through a journey in three phases â
responding, recovering, and reimagining life and business in the wake of the pandemic. China is currently well into the phase of recovery, and many organizations have started reimagining their futures in the new normal.
Research at Microsoft 2020: Addressing the present while looking to the future Published
Microsoft researchers pursue the big questions about what the world will be like in the future and the role technology will play. Not only do they take on the responsibility of exploring the long-term vision of their research, but they must also be ready to react to the immediate needs of the present. This year in particular, they were asked to use their roles as futurists to address pressing societal challenges.
In early 2020, as countries began responding to COVID-19 with stay-at-home orders and business operations moved from offices into homes, researchers sprang into action to identify ways their skills and projects could help while also making personal and professional adjustments of their own. In some cases, they pivoted to directly address the pandemic. A team from Microsoft Research Asia developed the COVID Insights website to promote scientific analysis and understanding of the di