A strategic collaboration between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the BMW Group will see the duo developing a customizable cloud software to simplify the distribution and management of data from millions of connected vehicles.
Through the partnership, BMW will become the first automotive OEM to use the software, ahead of using it for its next-generation, cloud-based vehicle data platform. In the future, the software will be made available to other OEMs, enabling them to integrate vehicle data sources and speed up vehicle and fleet application feature development. The software will also enable more advanced and personalized driver features to be delivered at less of a cost.
The co-developed solution gathers BMW vehicle signals and fleet intelligence data, then securely processes and routes the data in the cloud. Using AWS’s cloud infrastructure and security, BMW customer data is protected and processed in accordance with data privacy requirements and customer preferences. Only BMW’s own internal domain experts will be able to access the data, via a self-service mechanism that gathers streaming vehicle data, adds new data sources, configures access in accordance with governance policies, and monitors the quality and health of streaming sources.
The collected data is then combined with AWS’s own analytics, machine learning, database, storage, and computing software to enable the OEM to create new features and applications for future vehicles.
“We have 20 million connected vehicles on the road today. With the launch of the Neue Klasse, BMW’s next generation of vehicles, our offboard cloud platform – powered by AWS – will process roughly triple the volume of vehicle data as the current generation of BMW models,” said Nicolai Krämer, vice president of Vehicle Connectivity Platforms at the BMW Group. “Together with AWS, we will continue to create innovative solutions that enable us to develop and deliver new data-driven functions to customers worldwide, even faster.”
“Rapid, data-fueled innovation is critical to unlocking next-generation vehicle capabilities for automotive organizations, particularly as the industry looks to expand electric vehicle adoption, software-defined vehicle development, new digital service paradigms and more autonomous vehicle features,” said Sarah Cooper, general manager of AWS Industry Products at Amazon Web Services. “By teaming up with the BMW Group, we are building infrastructure today that will generate value for the next generation of vehicles. Together, we are excited to make the vision of software-defined transportation a reality and to enhance the capabilities of vehicles on the road.”