Microsoft Korea launched the cloud-based predictive analytics service Azure Machine Learning in South Korea on Wednesday.

The new MS service, which uses highly sophisticated data analytics algorithms, helps users to make predictions on a wide variety of managerial or social issues, such as economy, fraud detection and crime rates.

“The Azure Machine Learning will be able to help not only data scientists but also decision makers at businesses to sift through structured and unstructured data and make predictions,” said Lee Keon-bok, MS Korea’s senior program manager at a media briefing in Seoul.

“With the newly launched analytics service using the same analytics algorithms for game console Xbox and search engine Bing, corporate customers will also save costs and increase management efficiency.”

The machine learning technology provides predictive services to customers that are different from data mining, where users take a pinch of massive aggregate information, or big data.

In an aim to beef up its capabilities in the machine learning sector, it acquired Equivio, an Israel-based machine learning start-up, on Tuesday.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)