Volkswagen Group has announced a major partnership with Microsoft. VW’s software group Car.Software will collaborate with Microsoft to build a cloud-based Automated Driving Platform (ADP) on Microsoft Azure (Microsoft’s cloud platform) and leverage its compute and data technologies to deploy self-driving vehicles.
With ADP running on Azure, VW will increase the efficiency of the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and self-driving features functions for passenger cars across Volkswagen Group brands, including Audi.
Volkswagen and Microsoft have been working together on the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud since 2018, but this initiative specifically focuses on next-generation automation and self-driving.
In addition to focusing on self-driving and other advanced systems, VW will focus on remote updates across various vehicle models and versions, enabling consistent updates and quality of life improvements for the vehicle that is no longer tied to the hardware.
As we transform Volkswagen Group into a digital mobility provider, we are looking to continuously increase the efficiency of our software development. We are building the Automated Driving Platform with Microsoft to simplify our developers’ work through one scalable and data-based engineering environment. By combining our comprehensive expertise in the development of connected driving solutions with Microsoft’s cloud and software engineering know-how, we will accelerate the delivery of safe and comfortable mobility services
Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of the Car.Software
Read the full release at Microsoft’s site.