Microsoft tests Machine Learning waters

Microsoft customers who store their data in the Azure cloud will get access to predictive analysis capabilities, the company said today.

Called Azure Machine Learning, the new service willl go into preview next month in the US only.

Microsoft said the product can be used for a range of analytical tasks, including IT security fraud prevention, predicting medical resourcing needs, enterprise production systems monitoring, and retail customer purchasing habits.

Microsoft is playing catch up with its cloud competitors Google and Amazon when it comes to machine learning.

Google has already established artificial intelligence and machine learning research programs, and a public Prediction application programming interface (API).

Despite being behind, Microsoft believes Azure Machine Learning will attract developers, due to its 'ease of use' drag and drop capabilities, as well as a visual programming interface.

The company did not reveal how much Azure Machine Learning will cost or when it will become fully commercially available.