Microsoft Opens Up Research Center

San Francisco (CA) - As other high-tech companies cut back on their research labs, Microsoft continues to increase its ranks of free-rein thinkers.

The company, which has research labs in Redmond, Wash.; Beijing; Cambridge, England; Bangalore, India; and Silicon Valley, will announce plans on Monday to open a sixth lab, in Cambridge, Mass., in the Boston metropolitan area.

These are labs where people focus on science, not product development. To lead the new lab, the company has appointed one of its veteran researchers, Jennifer Tour Chayes. Dr. Chayes, 51, who has a doctorate in mathematical physics, said, "We believe that in the long run, putting money into basic research will pay off, but you have to wait longer for it."

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Mark Raby
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Mark Raby is a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware, covering a wide range of topics, from video game reviews to detailed analyses of computer processors.