The Finnish and Chinese companies today signed a cross-licensing patent deal ‘focused around the data center’, according to a CNBC report. This will allow Nokia and Xiaomi to develop new products, as they look to collaborate further in areas such as the Internet of Things, augmented and virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.

The deal represents a positive strategic move for both companies, with Finland’s Nokia gaining a significant Chinese partner, and China’s Xiaomi bolstering their patent portfolio as they look to expand their products and services business globally. Along with some unspecified patents that Xiaomi has acquired from Nokia, both companies are licensing cellular standard essential patents from each other, and Nokia is providing network infrastructure equipment.

The partnership is also expected to “explore” AR and VR, which both companies have been investing in already, with Nokia’s major OZO VR camera platform, and Xiaomi’s Mi VR, a smartphone-based VR headset solution.

“Xiaomi is committed to building sustainable, long-term partnerships with global technology leaders”, said Lei Jun, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi. “Our collaboration with Nokia will enable us to tap on its leadership in building large, high performance networks and formidable strength in software and services, as we seek to create even more remarkable products and services that deliver the best user experience to our (product brand) Mi fans worldwide”.

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The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.