IBM and Continental to develop systems for self-driving cars



    The international supplier of automotive components, Continental (Germany), and IBM (USA), one of the leading companies in the IT market, have announced an agreement on cooperation in the joint development of “connected car” mobile solutions for all car manufacturers.

    “We strongly believe that future automotive developments require strong partnerships with a global IT player such as IBM, and together we can create a safe and reliable car connected to IT solutions for all our customers around the world,” said Elmar Degenhart, Chairman of the Executive Board, Continental.

    As he explained: “IBM is an industry leader both in processing large volumes of data and in cloud computing and has extensive analytical experience. IBM supports cloud platforms, creates embedded systems. Combined with our experience in automotive electronics systems, this will help lay the foundation for the production of next-generation intelligent network vehicles. ”

    Central to the agreement is the development of a scalable cloud platform that will allow car manufacturers to provide a wide range of new mobile services. This will make it possible to update the software via the Internet, remotely diagnose the technical condition of the vehicle without expensive and inconvenient visits to the workshop. The introduction of such wireless technologies as “connected car” will provide customers with a wide range of new functions, as well as positively affect the development of other industries, such as public transport, insurance and retail.


    In the photo: Continental car antenna with integrated electronics for mobile network data transfer

    Dirk Wolfschlyager, director of IBM for the automotive industry, said: “Implementing a fully connected car technology requires the experience of exchanging large volumes of data between devices, an integrated intelligent system and the ability to provide services on a scalable cloud platform. Continental and IBM will accelerate the convergence of automotive and information technologies, which will allow automakers to integrate multimedia and mobile services, personalize the car, add entertainment, and manage traffic based on data received from interconnected cars. ”

    “Today, car owners are completely redefining their needs and expect their vehicles to provide the same features and amenities as other smart devices. This means that the driver is not only looking for quality, safety, reliability in the car, but also wants to see the car as a highly personalized device integrated into the information environment, ”explained Dirk Wolfschlager.

    According to Elmar Degenhart: “In the coming years, three strategic areas will drive innovations in the automotive industry: vehicle automation, reducing car emissions through efficient driving or electrifying vehicles, and finally, connecting the car wirelessly. The car will not only be connected to the Internet, it will become part of it. Network technologies, “reasonable mobility” open up enormous potential for innovation and will allow massively introducing several new functions for drivers: voice recognition, real-time traffic analysis, streaming data exchange, navigation, warning the driver about the danger of a collision. In general, cars of the future will become even safer and more efficient. ”

    Continental and IBM will develop the next generation e-horizon platform. Cars with built-in sensors will receive and transmit location, speed or deceleration data to a cloud application where data will be processed and analyzed.

    Learn more about IBM in the automotive industry .

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