The quest for automated vehicles continues In fact, with the deluge of new vehicles in the market, there has been glimpse of automation in one way or another. At Volkswagen Group, automated driving remains one of its goals and the German auto group has partnered with Microsoft to accelerate the development of automated functions into its vehicle offerings.

Challenging Requirements For Automated Driving

VW ADP diagram

The collaboration between VW Group (via its Car.Software Organization software firm) and Microsoft will culminate in the creation of the Automated Driving Platform (ADP). A cloud-based platform running on Microsoft Azure, ADP will develop and roll out advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and AD functions on VW Group's passenger cars at a much faster rate on a global scale – by leveraging its computing and data capabilities.

ADAS require large-scale computational capabilities, especially since petabytes (1 million GB) of data are expected to be transferred every day. Likewise, connected driving experiences also require machine-learning algorithms that could learn from billions of real and simulated miles.

Addressing ADAS Requirements With Cloud Computing

VW Automotive Cloud

To address these requirements, Car.Software Organization and Microsoft will simplify the developer experience while leveraging the "learnings from miles driven" from real traffic data (from VW vehicles) and simulation data. With Microsoft Azure and Microsoft's agile development tools and methods, Car.Software Organization’s developers could work on a single development environment.

VW and Microsoft logos

In addition, Car.Software Organization and Microsoft plan to allow technology partners to build tools and services that would integrate with the platform, thereby helping enhance the creation of AD and ADAS solutions.

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ADAS and AD functions will be tested, deployed and operated through Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, another collaboration between VW and Microsoft. Started in 2018, the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud will allow the integration of digital services and mobility offerings across VW's brands in the future. It will also allow VW to deliver vehicle updates and new features without installing new hardware.

Volkswagen Automotive Cloud Production Rollout In 2022

The first test vehicles connected to the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud will hit the road this year, with production rollout expected in 2022. The integration of the ADP and Volkswagen Automotive Cloud will occur as Car.Software Organization integrates its software solutions, tools and methods. Once integrated, the ADP can cut development cycles from months to weeks, while efficiently a managing massive amount of data.

Source: Volkswagen

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