Although many challenges around COVID-19 persist, it’s truly rewarding to see how our customers and partners are utilizing Microsoft technologies and our cloud to better respond to the pandemic. FedEx is helping address urgent public health needs with its incredible effort to distribute the vaccine quickly and efficiently. And Ford is leveraging key lessons from last year’s lockdown to design the ideal workplace of the future.

Moving forward, we have an amazing opportunity to impact the greater good by enabling our customers and partners to improve safety and wellbeing on the road, reduce environmental impact, and increase productivity on the go. Diverse industries are also converging, as with General Motors and AT&T, which recently announced a plan to bring 5G cellular connectivity to millions of GM vehicles over the next decade utilizing Microsoft’s scalable and secure cloud services. It’s exciting to be a part of such a transformational time in our industry as we move toward an all-electric and autonomous future, and enable our customers to leverage their data to create new mobility services.

As we recently told Automotive World, we expect cloud services to catalyze future mobility efforts, bringing rapid advances in design, engineering, manufacturing, customer experience and in-vehicle services. Technological innovation certainly drove a significant number of our notable customer announcements and strategic partnerships earlier this year, with established players and emerging startups alike, including:

• General Motors and Cruise announced a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft to bring together their hardware and software engineering expertise, computing power, and partner network to commercialize self-driving vehicles. Read more here.
• Bosch announced its partnership with Microsoft to develop a software-defined vehicle platform for seamless integration between cars and cloud. Read more here.
• Volkswagen Group teamed up with Microsoft to accelerate the development of automated driving. Read more here.
• Arrival, a technology company creating electric vehicles (EVs), will be working on an automotive open source platform. This cloud-based approach using Microsoft Azure will enable advanced uses of telemetry, vehicle and fleet data management across vehicle fleets. Read more here.
• Wejo is partnering with Microsoft to build a manufacturer-agnostic industry standard in connected vehicle data, creating applications across multiple marketplaces, including automotive, smart city, fleet, insurance, mobility, and payments. More details here.

With the new fiscal year, we also expanded our focus to incorporate Travel, Transportation, Logistics and Hospitality, in addition to Automotive. This reflects our commitment to enable the movement of both people and goods. One example is our work with Amadeus, with whom we are innovating and exploring new products and solutions to reimagine travel experiences for the future.

Last month we hosted our annual Microsoft Inspire event. We were thrilled to announce Accenture as our Automotive Partner of the Year. Congratulations are also in order for the finalists: Annata, PTC, and PwC. Much of our Inspire content is still available on-demand, such as CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote address where he discusses how Toyota is using Dynamics 365 and HoloLens at its training academy. I’m proud to see the team at Microsoft working with partners and customers on all aspects of their business.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming IAA Mobility show in Munich in September. Thank you again for joining us on this journey as we kick off the new fiscal year.

Best,

Sanjay

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Highlights

Microsoft’s Cloud Platforms and Future Mobility Efforts

Automotive World talks with Microsoft about the impact cloud services will have on the future of mobility and how the company is leveraging tech intensity and bespoke solutions to help a wide array of customers accelerate the development of automated driving and intelligent mobility systems. Read more here.

General Motors and AT&T Set Automotive Connectivity Benchmark with 5G

General Motors partner with AT&T to bring 5G cellular connectivity to millions of GM vehicles over the next decade powered by Microsoft’s secure and scalable cloud services. Read more here.

Digital Optimism: Customers Drive Cloud and Industry Innovation with Microsoft Technology

From Microsoft Inspire, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff discusses the trend of digital optimism, including how Toyota is bringing together fusion teams comprising of professional and citizen developers to build an internal vehicle delivery application. Read more here.

Partner of the Year: Accenture

Congratulations to our 2021 Automotive Partner of the Year winner, Accenture, and finalists Annata, PTC, and PwC. We look forward to the continued partnership to drive the future of mobility and forward momentum of the automotive industry together. More details here.

The Record: Driving Automotive Sustainability

With climate change becoming a priority for all sectors of society, we discussed with The Record how the automotive industry is taking responsibility for its impact on the wider world with a major shift toward electrification and new modes of transportation. Read the full article from the July issue here. Members of our team also spoke to The Record about mobility transformation and intelligent transportation systems. Enjoy.

Microsoft Blog: How Data is Transforming the Automotive Retail Experience

By 2030, virtually all new cars will be connected devices, datacenters on wheels. The additional revenue this is estimated to generate is extraordinary, as much as $1.5 trillion. Nearly 85 percent of automotive executives agree that the digital ecosystem is expected to eventually generate higher revenue than the hardware of the car itself. Learn more here.

Industry and Customer News

FedEx Gains Package Insights, Improves Service with Analytics Solution on Azure

FedEx developed a package analytics solution using the machine learning operations capabilities in Microsoft Azure Machine Learning. The company reduced customer service calls, improved real-time visibility, and laid the foundation for continued innovation. Learn more here.

Ford Motor Company and The New World of Hybrid Work

Microsoft EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Judson Althoff speaks with Ford’s Chief People Officer Kiersten Robinson and Global Design Director Jennifer M. Kolstad about how they’re thinking about hybrid work and bringing this vision to life. Watch here.

Arrival Developing its Automotive Open Data Platform Using Microsoft Azure

Arrival, the technology company creating electric vehicles (EVs) using its unique technologies, announced it will be co-developing its digital fleet and vehicle capabilities for the automotive industry with Microsoft. This cloud-based approach using Microsoft Azure will enable advanced uses of telemetry, vehicle and fleet data management across vehicle fleets. Read more here.

Wejo Partners with Microsoft on the Future of Connected Vehicle Data

Wejo, a global leader in connected vehicle data, has joined forces with industry leaders Microsoft, Palantir and Sompo Holdings to advance the cutting-edge applications of connected vehicle data worldwide. Through the combination of their strategic partnerships and investment, the companies will play a critical role in supporting Wejo’s vision of building the manufacturer-agnostic industry standard in connected vehicle data, creating applications across multiple marketplaces, including automotive, smart city, fleet, insurance, mobility, payments and more, while enriching lives around the globe. More details here.

Audi: Mixed Reality Is Worth More Than a Thousand Words

Audi uses mixed reality (MR) to present its new products at press conferences, trade fairs, and events. This makes the company a pioneer in the visual presentation of technical information using the most modern means—thoroughly in keeping with its motto “progress through technology.” Now the premium car manufacturer is also using mixed reality in its logistics planning. Read more here.

DHL Supply Chain Accelerates Warehouse Robotics Integration with Azure

DHL Supply Chain, a world leader in contract logistics, created a robotics hub that would simplify the implementation of high-tech tools at warehouses. In this innovative pilot project, DHL reduced robotics integration times by 60 percent, and it expects to accelerate implementation by up to 90 percent in the future. Read more here.

Nissan Intelligent Factory Uses Surface Go to Fuel Innovation on The Factory Floor

To innovate automobile production and make it more sustainable and efficient, the Japan-based auto maker Nissan Motor Corporation launched the Nissan Intelligent Factory. To reach its goal of bringing more advanced technology to its factories and empowering frontline workers to deliver great customer experiences, Nissan has adopted Microsoft Surface Go 2 as the tablet it uses on its factory floors. Read more here.

Clever Accelerates Business Growth with Sustainable Mobility

Clever, one of Europe’s leading Mobility Service Providers (MSPs), is expanding charging infrastructure today for tomorrow’s sustainable mobility. This Danish company believes that electric vehicles (EVs), often considered one of the most sustainable forms of transportation, are critical in the movement to minimize dependency on fossil fuels. And in the universe Clever is creating—where renewable energy is positioned wherever EV customers end up—everyday people will drive global change. Read more here.

Microsoft Partners with BMW Brilliance for Connected and Data-Driven Manufacturing

Microsoft is partnering with BMW Brilliance Automotive to accelerate digital transformation for its production based in China. It is providing comprehensive IoT services and solutions including predictive maintenance through Microsoft Azure, which begins with cloud-based IoT innovations to extract near-real-time insights and more granularity at scale from the factory floor. Read more here.

Virgin Atlantic Reaches New Heights with Innovations Powered By Microsoft 365

A digital transformation with a Virgin Atlantic spin means the company embraces innovative technology that employees use to stay connected—even as their work takes them to new destinations every day—and never lose sight of the customer experience. How do it use technology to reinvent the industry’s aging, legacy systems and get new ideas to market quickly? The key is to look at new technology from the customers’ perspective. Read more here.

Reinventing Railway for the Digital Age

Microsoft solutions keep the trains running on time. Belgian Railway SNCB transformed its incident management process by creating a streamlined, integrated workflow. Dutch Railways developed the Seat Finder app, using different track sensors to gauge weight distribution on each carriage. Austrian rail operator OBB’s AI-powered, cloud-based intelligent provides personalized travel information. Learn more here.

Lufthansa CityLine Accelerates AI Solutions

Lufthansa wanted to accelerate the tangible impact of artificial intelligence in operational and commercial airline processes. The airline leveraged ZeroG’s Deep Turnaround solution which uses Azure Video Analyzer, a new offering from Microsoft that combines capabilities from Live Video Analytics and Azure Video Indexer. Watch the video here.

WestJet Shares How Power Virtual Agents Enable Self-Service Discovery on SharePoint Online

WestJet joined Customer Tech Talks to share how using Power Virtual Agents enabled them to stand up a chat bot connecting staff to resources and knowledge stored in their SharePoint online environment. Link here.

Volocopter Featured in New Installment of Flight Simulator

Microsoft revealed a sneak peek of the new edition of Flight Simulator at Gamescom this month. Check out the video here and read more about it here.

Upcoming and OnDemand Events

IAA Mobility

September 7-12, 2021

The world’s largest mobility forum takes place in Munich, with digital extensions. We hope to see you there either way. More here.

Microsoft Inspire

Catch up with On-Demand sessions here.

Indy Autonomous Challenge

October 23, 2021

Coming up this fall. Learn more here.

Automotive News Congress Conversations

Join these webinars to learn more about anticipated trends in an environment of continued uncertainty. Topics include:

• The Changing Consumer
• Vehicles as Software 2.0: Reinventing the Industry
• The Path Forward for EVs: Commercialization and Industrialization
• Partnerships & Collaboration

Supply Chain Resilience: Replacing Complexity with Actionable Intel Innovation ‘X’: Evolving the Mobility Ecosystem

Industry Insights

In this blog, Judson Althoff, EVP, Worldwide Commercial business, discusses how Microsoft cloud technology and co-innovation approach are driving business value for customers across industry. Find out how companies like GM, Cruise, BMW, and Volkswagen benefit from Microsoft solutions today. 

Toyota set out to provide innovative training, repair support, and advanced visualizations to its dealership service technicians. Find out how HoloLens 2 helps improve, accelerate, and transform existing vehicle service. 

Dubai chose Cruise to offer ride hailing services and self-driving taxis in their region. In 2023, the fleet will roll out starting with a few autonomous shuttles, and expand to a fleet of up to 4,000 Cruise Origin vehicles. Read more about their plans in Forbes.

TMHIN trades, services, and rents handling equipment, parts, and accessories under several brands. TMHIN chose on Microsoft Dynamics 365 for a consolidated, precise, and real-time view of the business. Read more. 

Luis Maroto, President and CEO, Amadeus and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talk about a partnership bringing innovative cloud based solutions enabling new and better, frictionless travel experiences, and how our customers will benefit from Amadeus and Microsoft working together. Watch the video here. 

DHL is taking this data-focused approach even further—developing a digital supply chain model that translates physical assets into digital information. The goal? To create a plug-and-play, fully digital warehouse that can be implemented across their global operations. Read the story and watch the video.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released the findings from a body of research commissioned by Microsoft that explores how COVID-19 has impacted the ways industry leaders view technology as a catalyst for change, amid the pandemic and as we look forward. Find more related content here and read our blog with insights focused on the automotive industry here.

In this blog, Microsoft CVP Deb Cupp reflects on the findings of the EIU report and the positive impacts of digital transformation in industry. In this piece, she discusses topics like balancing in-person and remote teams, the need for cross-team collaboration, and how digitally prepared organizations had an advantage in navigating the challenges presented by the pandemic.

In this automotive industry focused portion of the EIU report, respondents view climate change as a top benefit of auto industry digital transformation. Many also saw an increased pace of technology adoption during the pandemic, looking to automation to aid in recovery and fill workforce and skills gaps. Read more and download the report here.

This piece features perspective from CraneMorley’s James Heideman and Thomas Pratt discuss ways Microsoft HoloLens and IoTc an help vehicle technicians perform complex maintenance procedures. Find out more.

In this article, DXC Luxoft’s Luz Mauch and Microsoft’s Sanjay Ravi discuss the industry’s need for more advanced diagnostics capabilities to keep pace with increasingly complex in-vehicle software. Read how mechanics may find support from AI to accelerate future diagnostics procedures.

Author Alex Smith speaks with Microsoft’s Juergen Imhoff about how automotive organizations empowered with Microsoft solutions can accelerate successful digital transformations. Learn how handling an ever-increasing volume of data can help companies improve.

For super-app innovator Grab, AI is everywhere and for everyone. From tech and engineering employees, data scientists to drivers, Grab is partnering with Microsoft to equip their people with AI tools and training to enhance how they perform their roles. Read more and watch the video here.

ZF Group is on the road to digitization to meet the demands for e-mobility solutions in the auto and commercial vehicle sector. It needed to improve collaboration across multiple divisions and geographies so it standardized on Microsoft 365.

ZF enabled employees to take advantage of Microsoft Dataverse for Teams, along with low-code development tools in Microsoft Power Platform, to publish new apps that automate processes and analyze data within Teams. These tools solve business problems rapidly and without the involvement of IT, saving time and money.

Events and Webinars

Join these webinars to learn more about anticipated trends in an environment of continued uncertainty. Topics include: 

• The Changing Consumer
• Vehicles as Software 2.0: Reinventing the Industry
• The Path Forward for EVs: Commercialization and Industrialization
• Partnerships & Collaboration
• Supply Chain Resilience: Replacing Complexity with Actionable Intel
• Innovation ‘X’: Evolving the Mobility Ecosystem

TJoin Microsoft’s John Reed, Global Solutions Leader, Automotive, Mobility and Transportation, and other industry experts as they talk about how Data, AI and standards inform your business strategy. Register for the Forum here.  

Join Microsoft’s Raj Paul and industry experts from AT&T, GSMA, Panasonic, and Sibros for a discussion on how 5G and the software defined vehicle are intersecting to create new opportunities for unlocking the next generation of connected vehicle offerings. Register here.  

The automotive industry is at a crossroads. Caught between rapidly changing technologies, a global pandemic and evolving customer demands, OEMs and dealerships are struggling to navigate in an uncertain world – especially around questions of digital customer experience. In this expert talk, learn more from speakers including Microsoft’s Stefan André Raschke.  

Thought leaders from across the transportation industry joined Ricardo to discuss how the environment, electrification, autonomy, digitization, software and other factors are converging to define the future of mobility. Speakers included Ford Motor Company CTO Ken Washington, Microsoft VP Ulrich Homann and Toyota Motor North America Group VP, Advanced Mobility R&D Monte Kaehr. Watch the replay.  

How can digital leaders navigate through such disruptive times? Satya Nadella and Volkmar Denner, CEO of Bosch – along with Ulrich Homann (Corporate VP Cloud and AI, Microsoft), Christoph Hartung (President and CEO, ETAS) and Katja Laurischkat (VP, Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence (BCAI) – discussed AIoT as the foundation for smart, connected products. Find out more here.  

The event focused on mobility’s biggest hurdles like developmental timelines for autonomous vehicles and new technologies to global supply chain constraints impacting the automotive industry. Sessions and panel discussions included insights from many industry leaders including Microsoft’s Heiko Huettel. Register here to watch the replays. 

In this streamed event series, Hannover Messe offers perspective an multiple topics. Sessions covered topics like how cloud-based AI can improve sustainability, and how Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management can help organizations improve throughput, quality, and uptime. Watch the webinars here. 

At the 22nd International Symposium on Quality Electronic Design (ISQED’21) a group of industry experts shared their perspectives on the industry, focusing on security, AI/ML & Electronic Design, Autonomous Vehicles, IoT, and Quantum Computing. Speakers include Microsoft’s Aditya Sharma. Find out more here. 

In this Industry 4.0 webinar series sponsored by Cloudera, Accenture, Dell, Intel, and Microsoft offer frank conversations in solving Industry 4.0 challenges. This video features perspective from Microsoft’s Brian Remmel, GM of Business Applications in US Manufacturing. 

Microsoft Inspire is our largest partner event of the year, offering many opportunities for you to advance your business by interacting with global partners, industry leaders, and Microsoft experts. The digital event registration opens in June 2021 here. 

Highlights

Bosch and Microsoft announced their plans to develop a software platform to seamlessly connect cars to the cloud. The collaboration will simplify and accelerate the development and deployment of vehicle software throughout a car’s lifetime. For more details, read the press release about Bosch teaming up with Microsoft. 

The extension of the partnership will help Volkswagen AG enhance their transformation as a digital mobility provider and accelerate the development of automated driving functions to bring new driving experiences to the Group’s cars even faster. Find out more in the press release about Volkswagen Group teaming up with Microsoft. 

What comes to mind when you think of German cities? Probably: lots of cars. How can people’s different mobility needs be fulfilled in the future? Learn more about creative concepts that put people at the center in this news article about Urban Mobility, including a podcast “What Germany can learn from Asia”.

Due to social distancing requirements at dealer service centers, Mercedes-Benz needed to quickly help technicians master complex maintenance procedures, while eliminating travel and onsite visits. They developed the first ever mixed reality automotive maintenance support system. Read the blogpost about Mercedes-Benz Virtual Remote Support system here. 

The three companies combine their strengths and experience to translate complex technical information into valuable business insights. Learn more about ZF’s Digital Manufacturing Platform. 

Covid-19 + CASE = immense cost pressure for the industry and especially for automotive suppliers. Read about real-world examples of how companies in the automotive sector are using cloud migration to reduce IT costs quickly. Learn more about Cost savings for automotive suppliers.  

Customer and Partner Spotlight

In under two and a half years, the Bertrandt Group’s experts developed the HARRI self-driving technology platform – a vehicle that can drive autonomously within a clearly defined scenario. Read more about Bertrandt’s HARRI is a self-driving success. 

The first step in the partnership process with Microsoft is transitioning its workforce to Microsoft Office 365. Find out more about Faurecia and its cloud-based IT infrastructure.  

Microsoft helps sponsor a $1.5 million university prize competition to win the world’s first head-to-head, high-speed autonomous race at the famed Indianapolis motor speedway. Learn more about driverless racecars.  

ŠKODA AUTO’s digital transformation gains momentum with the new strategic program, AccelerateIT. Microsoft is instructing and certifying employees for work with the Azure cloud platform, data, and AI. Read more about ŠKODA’s digital transformation.  

UMI Urban Mobility International GmbH, a Volkswagen subsidiary, manages the growing number of users, subscriptions, and customer inquiries without a local IT infrastructure. Instead, the startup relies on Microsoft cloud and platform services. Read the story UMI developing urban mobility with cloud services here.  

Auto racing is a sport in which the slightest adjustment to a design can translate into an enormous difference. Read more about Hendrick’s approach.  

Automotive Articles from the Record

The long-held goal of autonomous mobility is coming into sight for the automotive industry but will require a dramatic shift in the way companies think about vehicle design. Read more about the driverless future. 

Microsoft HoloLens is enabling automotive companies to manage the move towards increasingly complex connected and electric vehicles. Find out more about new automotive reality.

Alex Smith spoke to Heiko Huettel, Microsoft’s head of automotive for EMEA, about the trends and technology transforming the forefront of vehicle innovation. Read the article with Heiko Huettel here.  

DXC Luxoft’s Marek Jersak and Matthias Bauhammer discuss building, validating, and integrating the autonomous driver into the car. Read more about autonomous mobility transformation.  

Ronny Kraehe and Ferdinand Arndt from DXC Luxoft explain why automakers must bridge the gap between software and vehicle design. Read more about connected vehicle services.  

Mixed reality solutions can bring substantial business benefits to manufacturing and engineering organizations. Read more about new reality with HoloLens.  

Industry Events and Webinars

At CES 2021, Sanjay Ravi spoke alongside Accenture’s Axel Schmidt, Emily Weiss, Brian Irwin, and Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s Mamatha Chamarthi for a “Future of Mobility Services” on-demand session. The group discussed how smart, connected technologies transform the automotive industry and why collaboration is needed now more than ever. Watch the replay from CES 2021.

In this session, Sanjay Ravi and Volkswagen’s Zoran Lazovski talk about the future of automotive and mobility enabled by software. They also touch on the importance of digital transformation in the automotive industry and how they innovate together. Find out more about Automotive & Mobility Transformation.  

Given the complexity of advancing driverless vehicles, the automotive ecosystem is looking to the cloud to scale autonomous engineering and innovation programs. Learn how Microsoft and its partner ecosystem help the industry accelerate autonomous vehicle development by leveraging intelligent cloud and edge solutions. Watch the replay from dSPACE digital conference here.  

Annata’s Kristinn Johannsson and Microsoft’s John Reed shared insights and best practices on how to move from legacy systems to the new paradigm — powered by Microsoft’s cloud enabled technologies unified with Annata’s automotive industry expertise and knowledge. Watch the presentation from Reuters Automotive Workshop here.  

At our recent Ignite 2020 conference, we announced new capabilities around Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and Azure Arc, which help organizations digitize their end-to-end business operations and swiftly react to a changing market. The Microsoft for Startups: Autonomous Driving Program was also featured at Ignite. UK-based Wayve, a self-driving startup that is pioneering advanced AI software for the next generation of self-driving cars, spoke about its unique end-to-end reinforcement learning-based approach. 

Mixed Reality was also a hot topic at Ignite. During her keynote presentation, Microsoft CVP of Business Applications & Global Industry, Alysa Taylor, featured Mercedes Benz and their innovative use of HoloLens 2 and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist to enable remote vehicle maintenance in nearly 400 dealerships in the United States. Similarly, BMW is taking new approaches with AI and mixed Reality to support internal training and sales.  

Toyota is also using HoloLens 2 to assist with the analysis of aerodynamics during the vehicle design process. By using multiple HoloLens 2 devices, Toyota’s team can share their virtual view with others to streamline the design review process, even while working remotely. Also, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) uses Power Platform, Teams, and Azure Arc to drive faster results. In his blog, James Philips, president, Microsoft Business Applications, highlighted how TMNA is leveraging Power Apps, with over 400 applications in progress, along with over 800 Power Automate flows, to help them improve business processes and boost customer service and satisfaction. 

Sustainability continues to be a key focus for Microsoft in automotive. Microsoft recently expanded our sustainability goals to reduce our carbon footprint. We plan to make the company carbon-negative by 2030, and we back that commitment with a $1B investment in the Climate Innovation Fund over four years. Open access to data is essential to sustainability, especially in automotive. The right information access can help a shipping company divide freight among trucks to maximize capacity. It could also help taxi drivers predict traffic and passenger demand to save fuel. Scenarios like these drive Microsoft’s commitment to address the “data divide” through the Open Data Campaign. Of course, no single company can do this alone. We welcome all our customers and partners to join us in this initiative. 

I also want to say thank you! Despite these turbulent times, I’m amazed at the resiliency and rebound we’re seeing in the auto industry. We’re proud to continue our partnership to drive innovation together.

Sanjay Ravi

General Manager, Microsoft Automotive

Industry Insights

#ReimagineTheFuture – that was the theme of our most important industry conference in Germany on the 27th and 28th of October. Missed a session? Watch them on-demand and discover smart solutions and tech trends for what lies ahead in the global Automotive industry. 

Automotive Sessions On-Demand 

Join our next Microsoft Innovation Talk for the manufacturing and automotive industry and gain insights into data-driven system architectures in industrial production, based on the Microsoft IoT Reference Platform. Hans Fleischmann, tech expert Strategic IT, and Bertram Holzer, tech expert Operations IT at Schaeffler, share their experiences in creating the future of the smart factory. 

Register now 

Patrick McGee’s article in the Financial Times describes how over-the-air systems empower new connected vehicle experiences and how Microsoft’s trusted technology platform helps customers deliver new mobility services that differentiate their business.  

Read more 

This report by PSFK, in partnership with Microsoft, explores the future state of the automotive industry through five forward-looking user journeys. They highlight the advantage of digital transformation through the adoption of networked data, connected vehicles and operations, intelligent automation, and a digitally-enabled supply chain. The insights learned can help manufacturers, OEMs, and dealers understand how cloud-based solutions can transform their businesses and drive new service levels across the value chain.  

Download the report here 

Automotive Highlights  

BMW is taking new approaches with AI and Mixed Reality to support internal training, sales, and more. 

Find out more here 

Find out how Mercedes-Benz USA will use Dynamics 365 Remote Assist technologies and HoloLens 2 to reduce cost, lessen environmental impact, and increase service efficiency. Learn more at these links:  

Story    Blog     Video   

Learn how Unity and HoloLens 2 have helped Toyota to streamline processes while increasing understanding and saving time.

Learn more 

Microsoft is helping reduce the auto industry’s carbon footprint. Open data sharing is one key to this challenge. Read more in this The Record article. 

Read article 

Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, spoke with Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess about new opportunities in the auto industry.  

See the video 

John Stenlake’s third article in The Record discusses how to tap AI to extract actionable insights from data – and use predictive modeling for capabilities like Bridgestone’s tire damage alert system.  

Read more 

The BMW special edition of the automotiveIT September issue (online and print) features a full-page story titled “Jointly unlocking innovation that impacts the future of mobility and empowers everyone at the BMW Group to achieve more.” It showcases testimonials of eight leaders in several joint innovation projects across the BMW Group around the globe.  

Learn more 

Bosch Building Technologies wanted to evolve its IoT offerings for energy monitoring, energy reduction, and cost savings. With Azure Digital Twins incorporated into the solution, customers gain predictive insights to reduce energy consumption. 

Read more 

To reach its digital transformation goals, Volkswagen Financial Services chose to modernize its apps. By supporting its DevOps practices with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub, VW Financial Services delivers applications and services faster. 

Learn more 

Toyota Gazoo Racing is on a quest to overcome the limits of the road. Find out how they’re developing new technological solutions at the speed of a world-class rally team.  

Find out more 

Learn how Elektrobit taps Azure to collect huge volumes of sensor data used in autonomous driving.  

Learn more 

In this blog post, Sanjay Ravi offers perspective on the ways companies today innovate for improved operational resiliency, business continuity, and tech intensity.  

Read more 

John Reed, Director of Automotive Solutions at Microsoft, speaks to David Mackenzie, Director of Global Accounts at Annata, about intermixing legacy and new technologies in the cloud to improve operational transformation.  

See the replay here 

With Azure, AzureSQL, and Power BI, automotive engineering supplier ElringKlinger has a flexible platform to speed data analysis, prototyping, and testing.  

Learn more 

The Record talks with Darren Coil about how mixed Reality and AI can help with supply chain optimization, rapid prototyping, and predicting inventory demand. 

Find out how 

Gartner’s 2020 Magic Quadrant for Low Code Application Platforms names @MSPowerApps as a Leader!  Great seeing Toyota and others mentioned for helping to drive PowerApps capabilities and vision forward.  

Read more 

Azure Object Anchors, one of the newly launched MR Azure Services, helps developers build applications to automatically detect a specific physical object in the user’s environment and align 3D content without markers.  

Learn more 

Events and Webinars

At Ignite, Microsoft shared details on new capabilities to build resiliency into every layer of business. Among other details in this blog by James Phillips, he describes how Toyota Motor North America is solving business problems with the Power Platform. More than 400 applications are in progress, along with more than 800 Power Automate flows, to help Toyota improve business processes and boost customer service and satisfaction.  

Read more  

This “Fundamentals” session will explore cloud-computing concepts, models, and services, covering topics such as public, private, hybrid cloud, and more. By attending the event, you will have the knowledge needed to take the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certification exam for free at a date of your choice. Multiple session dates and replays are available, starting November 4.  

Learn more 

In this webinar replay, our colleagues Rebekka Arbara and Duc Nguyen, with our partner Cluster Reply, discuss how our customers can grow the impact of a 360-view. Topics include the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and the importance of trusted relationships.  

Registration website