the office

Microsoft occupies 3 locations around Beijing, but they are not close to each other -- each building is up to 30 minutes apart by taxi. Microsoft Research Asia is in Sigma Plaza in the Haidian district of Beijing, about 45 min from the airport.


The main building of Sigma is 6 stories tall with a basement. The basement has 3 restaurants (Japanese, Chinese, and "Western"), a cafeteria, a gym (under renovation), and a couple of stores.

Whiteboards are made of frosted glass so they are not actually 'white'.


The keyboard you get has Chinese characters


I don't understand how this fire extinguisher works


they have air purifiers and humidifiers everywhere which is nice


there's a data center in the middle of the office


display case with awards received by MSRA (some from local schools / Universities)


each floor has a lobby, receptionist, and a guard


outside each conference room a touch-screen panel shows a map and the booking schedule for every room


every conference room has an interesting wall-mounted LED panel that shows time, temperature, & lunar cycle


it's Microsoft so of course there's game rooms...


...with massage chairs!


the highlight of the building for me is this amazing foyer right in the middle. it's very serene and a nice place to sit and relax.