Two
big companies Amazon and Microsoft plan on providing their cloud computing
services to the digital location service HERE, a company owned by German
carmakers that develop self-driving cars. The
carmakers involved are BMW, Audi, and Mercedes, and the intention is to use
these intelligent mapping systems to guide their self-driving cars[i].
BMW,
Audi, and Mercedes will have tons of data being sent in and processed with
their connected or self-driving cars, and in order for HERE to optimize their
service’s performance, they will need the cloud computing services that Amazon
and Microsoft utilize. The importance of cloud computing is highlighted here
because of the volume of data that the cars will collect. It makes perfect
sense to utilize the cloud computing services of companies like Amazon and
Microsoft where they have a proven record of handling these large amounts of
data.
There
have been talks of having more carmakers on board in order to keep the cost of
investment controlled but also to improve the data that can be provided among
all the cars “sensing” the hazards and conditions of the roads throughout the
world[i]. By having more carmakers on board, there can be a more
comprehensive digital map produced. The more investors in the digital mapping
business, the more competent self-driving cars can be in detecting hazards on
the road and seeking alternate routes in case of unanticipated detours.
The
last major point made from the article discusses the fast growth of the
connected and self-driving car industry. What was one perceived as a niche
market can now be seen as a significant shift in the automobile (and maybe even
insurance) industry. One example is how Samsung has acquired the rights to use
HERE’s software to connect their cars better. The use of “Find my Mobile” will
utilize a similar system to the “Find my iPhone” feature in Apple’s phone
products, where a location tag is simply applied to any vehicle using Samsung’s
connected car service and the user will be able to find their vehicle faster[ii].
Some
big questions remain at large after reading the article. One would be what
Apple has to say about Microsoft’s growing interest in location services. They
would definitely want to look into a growing technology that their main
competition is interested in. Another would be why they chose Amazon, among
cloud computing providers. SAP Hana is one example of a promising provider that
would have accommodated HERE just as much as Amazon, if not better. One last
point that can be easily overlooked is Amazon’s intention to become a
shareholder in HERE. BMW, Mercedes, and Audi bought it to use it in their cars,
so Amazon could also do something with the technology they want to buy. It will
be curious to see how well HERE is able to utilize the cloud computing
resources from Amazon and Microsoft.
It is crazy how much technology has been changing the features used in the car industry. The idea of a self-driving car does not sound too promising to me but from this article, it is seen that this market is definitely on the right track. I am curious if other companies will join in on this research and how far this project will go. I also find it interesting that Apple has not partaken in this particular market yet. I agree with you, it is interesting that they chose Amazon’s cloud computing service because it is relatively new compared to other providers that would be able to provide the same services as Amazon. This project calls for a lot of data storage, and deciding on a cloud computing service that is reliable enough is a big decision. I am curious which direction this market will move in and to hear how Amazon will be handling this data.
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