Bayer has announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to build a new cloud-based set of digital tools and data science solutions.
These new tools will be used in agriculture and adjacent industries, bringing new infrastructure and foundational capabilities to accelerate innovation, boost efficiency, and support sustainability across value chains, says Bayer.
Under the agreement, Bayer will work with Microsoft to co-develop new solutions that address critical industry scenarios such as farming operations, sustainable sourcing, manufacturing and supply chain improvement, and ESG monitoring and measurement.
The two companies will do this by developing infrastructure for digital farming solutions and data science capabilities. These new solutions and capabilities will be available to businesses in agriculture and adjacent industries for use in their own offerings.
Bayer will also migrate its digital farming core capabilities, within Climate Corporation, to the new infrastructure for its own customer-facing solutions. The partnership builds upon a longstanding relationship between Bayer and Microsoft, and a shared commitment to data privacy, cyber security and customer trust.
Jeremy Williams, head of the Climate Corporation and Bayer Digital Farming Solutions, says collaboration is key in order for the agriculture industry to be as successful as possible.
“As agriculture and technology entrepreneurs and organizations work to advance the security and sustainability of the value chain — supporting farmers at its foundation — collaboration is required,” Williams says. “Bayer is pioneering digital innovation with agriculture. Microsoft is setting the standard in trusted, global cloud solutions. Together, we can innovate and implement as a team to deliver the food, feed, fibre, and fuel needed to power our planet.”
Bayer has set a target of 100-percent digitally-enabled sales in the Crop Science division by 2030.