Microsoft to consolidate Bay Area campus

Microsoft president Steve Ballmer christened Microsoft's new 32-acre campusin the Mountain View, California Thursday and announced the new developmentcenter and offices that will consolidate various groups the company now hasworking in the area. Ballmer described the new campus as Microsoft's "No. 2center of excellence." It is expected to be ready next summer.

The groups that will be working out of the new campus are currentlyresponsible for HotMail, WebTV, and Macintosh Internet product development.Other Bay Area groups, including Microsoft Research and Sidewalk, will notbe moving to the new campus.

When asked about Microsoft's enemies in the area, such as Sun Microsystemsand Netscape, Ballmer acknowledged the ironic move.

"We're a company that has far more partners in the Valley than we do competitors," he said. "The focus has got to be on those companies.