DJI is partnering with Microsoft to build a new drone SDK for Windows 10 that will enable full flight control and data transfer to Windows 10 PCs, which allows it to directly connect DJI’s drones with Windows computers.

Along with controlling the drones, the SDK will also make it possible to easily integrate third-party hardware like multispectral sensors or custom actuators with DJI’s drones, expanding what customers will be able to do with their drones.

Additionally, going forward, the two companies will be working together to use Microsoft Azure as DJI’s preferred cloud provider for commercial solutions, which will also involve utilizing Microsoft’s AI services to analyze and interpret aerial images and video for enterprise customers.

Onstage at Build, the two companies also showed off what the fruits of this partnership could look like, with a DJI Mavic drone that leveraged the new SDK and Azure backend to scan and identify a damaged pipe from the drone footage, displayed in real time on a Windows 10 app.

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