When you take a sip of coffee in the morning, do you ever wonder where the coffee beans came from or how they were grown, roasted, packed, shipped and served to you?
At Microsoft's annual developer conference Build 2019 in Seattle on Monday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said they are working with Starbucks to enhance the coffee giant's services using technologies such as cloud computing, machine learning and blockchain.
Nadella cited Starbucks as one of many examples of a consistent theme -- increased hiring of software engineers at companies outside the industry that are embracing hi-tech solutions, tech news website GeekWire reported.
"They are coming together to completely take what is that iconic experience that is Starbucks and incorporating digital throughout," Nadella was quoted by GeekWire as saying.
Microsoft launched its Azure Blockchain Service last week and hopes the technology could help Starbucks deliver more intelligent and customer-centric services and enhance its "bean to cup" initiative.
The U.S. coffee chain announced its "bean to cup" initiative last year to trace the journey of coffee beans from farms to customers' cup.
"Starbucks' ambition is to use the technology to provide greater empowerment for coffee farmers as coffee drinkers better understand where the coffee comes from and who grows it," said Anita Rao, principal program manager of Microsoft, at the conference. "With Azure Blockchain Service, data can be real-time and transparent."
The two companies are also working on an initiative called "predictive drive-thru ordering," which aims to offer customers quick and personalized recommendations as they pull over their cars at a drive-thru store.
Besides, Starbucks is using several Azure cloud products to connect numerous equipment in its nearly 30,000 stores globally, from coffee machines to grinders and blenders. By connecting its devices to the cloud, the company will be able to control and react to machine breakdowns faster and easier than before.
