The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Microsoft Corp. are collaborating on the development of connected-driving technology.

The companies signed a global, multi-year agreement to develop technologies for cars powered by Microsoft Azure, one of the company's intelligent cloud offerings. The service offers advanced navigation, predictive maintenance and vehicle centric services, remote monitoring of car features, external mobile experiences and over-the-air updates.

"A car is becoming increasingly connected, intelligent and personal," said Ogi Redzic, Renault-Nissan Alliance senior vice-president, connected vehicles and mobility services. "Partnering with Microsoft allows us to accelerate the development of the associated key technologies needed to enable scenarios our customers want and build all-new ones they haven't even imagined. We aim to become the provider of connected mobility for everyone with one single global platform."

The partnership is also intended to support Renault-Nissan Alliance’s efforts to launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous driving technology by 2020.

Renault-Nissan selected Azure in part due to its ability to support multiple operating systems, programming languages and tools, according to the company.

"While the connected car experience is in its infancy, we believe there's so much potential to dramatically change the industry," said Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations, Microsoft. "We are partnering to accelerate Renault-Nissan's mobile and cloud strategies and unlock new experiences for their customers. Renault-Nissan is an exceptional partner thanks to its global presence and range of brands, which enable it to bring entirely new mobile and digital experiences to so many people. This collaboration will bring a new standard to connected cars."