Microsoft Automotive News | March 2021

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.