Microsoft Automotive News | June 2021

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.