Self-driving cars are already a reality in a host of U.S. cities, but the technology has a ways to go before it can be launched worldwide. Yet, Automated Driving (AD) is just one example of what will be offered in the next generation of vehicles.
In the AI era, new cars and trucks will be Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), and one of the companies leading the field is HERE Technologies with its mapping and location products. HERE has expanded its partnership with AWS to accelerate development in this rapidly evolving market.
Cloud Infrastructure and Innovation
HERE and AWS have announced a decade-long, $1-billion cloud infrastructure agreement. The aim of the agreement is to provide HERE with the support it needs to advance development of SDV technology by integrating AWS infrastructure with its mapping tools.
Together, the companies are looking to speed up the development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), AD, and other software-driven enhancements. Ultimately, AI-powered mapping solutions and location technologies play a crucial role in the advancement of SDV technologies.
“The future of the auto industry is linked to technological advancement and invention, and our collaboration with HERE is a powerful example of how AWS is accelerating innovation across manufacturing, connected vehicles, and driver experiences,” said Matt Garman, CEO at AWS.
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“Working with HERE, we will help automakers pioneer new ways to improve the driving experience by leveraging the global scale, reliability, and AI capabilities of AWS to power AI-driven mapping applications and features.”
Building on Success
AWS has been supporting HERE with various services including cloud infrastructure, data, analytics, and AI and ML for almost 10 years. This partnership has enabled HERE to scale up the deployment of its unified map architecture which uses HERE’s AI and ML models to automate, revise, and enrich maps with IoT sensor data.
“Location technology is at the heart of the automotive industry’s software-defined vehicle revolution, and HERE’s collaboration with AWS is boosting our ability to deliver game-changing tools that dramatically accelerate this complex transformation for our customers,” said HERE CEO Mike Nefkens.
“By fusing HERE’s industry-leading location intelligence with AWS’s cloud capabilities and global reach, we’re empowering automakers to rapidly evolve their vehicles into cutting-edge software platforms,” Nefkens said. “Our work with AWS enables our customers to leverage our state-of-the-art location technology for faster software development and real-time data analytics throughout the entire SDV lifecycle, propelling the industry into a new era of automotive excellence.”
HERE is enhancing its cloud-native offerings for automakers through an extended collaboration that utilizes the latest AWS tools. One example of this is HERE’s new product, SceneXtract, which combines data from the HERE HD Live Map with AWS’s natural language processing (NLP) and other GenAI services. This integration allows developers to quickly find and export map data for simulations related to ADAS and AD testing.
In addition to this and other automotive-focused solutions, AWS and HERE have agreed to develop and launch new software through the AWS Marketplace. These applications will cater to a wider range of use cases in transportation, logistics, and supply chain optimization.
In the case of the automotive industry, the next generation of technology will rely not only on AI but also on other technologies, most notably cloud infrastructure, so this evolving partnership is a brilliant example of how a cloud technology partner can support a company through every stage of growth.
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