(Yicai Global) May 11 -- China’s National Animation Industry Park and Microsoft Xiaoice today announced a partnership to jointly set up a new tech lab for digital culture.

Relying on Xiaoice’s framework, the lab will provide complete artificial intelligence content production solutions for businesses settled in the NAIP, which is located in Binhai New District of Tianjin city.

As the first step, the pair will build a public service platform for the park to accelerate the application of AI technology. Making full use of Xiaoice’s know-how in the creation of AI-based music, painting and video editing can energize the content production of firms in the park.

The NAIP is China’s country-level animation industrial park. Jointly built by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Tianjin government, it opened in May 2011. So far, the park has attracted more than 220 businesses.

Last July, Microsoft said it would spin off Xiaoice, an AI voice interactive product developed by a team at Microsoft Search Technology Center in December 2013, as an independent company. In November, it raised several hundred million yuan in a pre-A funding round, with NetEase and Northern Light Venture Capital as key investors.

Editor: Peter Thomas