A data analytics and AI startup is partnering with Microsoft

On August 29, Microsoft announced a five-year deal to give Synthetic, a firm that utilizes artificial intelligence to evaluate data from air and space sensors, cloud computing capabilities.

The Wisconsin-based Synthetic made headlines earlier this year when it independently tracked the Chinese spy balloon's passage across the United States before it was shot down using artificial intelligence and Planet Labs' collection of satellite imagery.

The Rapid Automatic Image Categorization (RAIC) tool, an AI product from Synthetic, was created on the Microsoft Azure cloud. Microsoft noted that as part of the new deal, Synthetic will have access to almost 1 million hours' worth of cloud computing resources.

According to Corey Jaskolski, founder and CEO of Synthetic, the company will collaborate with Microsoft Azure Space on fresh approaches to processing geospatial, static, and video imagery for operations involving disaster response, environmental sustainability, and national security.

Executive vice president, Jason Zander in a statement said that, of the strategic goals and technologies at Microsoft, AI has the ability to sift through the immense amounts of data gathered by governments and organizations throughout the world to uncover a wealth of knowledge and insights.

According to the firm, government organizations would have access to the RAIC data analysis tool via the Microsoft Azure Government Cloud. While maintaining the strict security and compliance requirements required for sensitive government data, agencies can use AI.