Top 10 Robotics and Automation Transactions in Q1 2021

3. Cruise gets $1B in equity funding from Microsoft, others

Cruise LLC, which General Motors acquired in 2016, partnered with Microsoft on Jan. 19. San Francisco-based Cruise said it will use Azure, Microsoft’s cloud and edge computing platform, “to commercialize its autonomous vehicle systems at scale.” Cruise last month acquired Voyage, which has been developing its own self-driving shuttlebuses, as the race for autonomous vehicles tightens with consolidations. For instance, last year, Uber sold its autonomous division to Aurora Innovation, and Amazon spent more than $1 billion on Zoox, which unveiled its robotaxi in December.