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Software Defined Vehicle

Google, Renault Group to build ‘software-defined vehicle’ for the future

Google has made breakthroughs in the automotive industry in the span of the last few years with Android Auto, which mimics the smartphone’s features for in-car news and entertainment, and Android Automotive which is an operating system particularly designed for cars that include Play Store support and a built-in Google Assistant. On Tuesday, Google and Renault Group revealed the expansion of their collaboration to produce the digital layout for the future ‘Software Defined Vehicle (SDV).

Software Defined Vehicle
Image Source: dtnext.in

The ‘Software Defined Vehicle’ will enable the car to receive new on-demand services and continuous upgrades, utilising the present Android Automotive Operating System with the Google Cloud technology participation.

“Our collaboration with Renault Group has advanced comfort, safety, and connectivity on the road. The announcement will help accelerate Renault Group’s digital transformation by bringing together our expertise in the cloud, AI, and Android to provide a secure, highly-personalized experience that meets customers’ evolving expectations,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet.

Source: pgurus.com

Renault Group will broaden its utilization of Google Cloud technology for this SDV to effectively manage data capture and analytics, along with software development for the vehicle, securely and confidentially.

The companies will establish a set of SDV-specific onboard and offboard software components, as well as expand synergies and use cases that are in relation to the group’s “Move to Cloud” strategy.

The partnership on cloud computing, which began in 2018, is gaining momentum with the development of a Digital Twin, a virtual twin of the machine with the most advanced AI capabilities.

“Equipped with a shared IT platform, continuous over-the-air updates, and streamlined access to car data, the SDV approach developed in partnership with Google will transform our vehicles to help serve future customers’ needs,” said Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO.“Our strategic partnership with Google will allow us to accelerate our end-to-end digital transformation, from the design of the car to its market launch through its production, and ultimately to bring added value to our customers, he added.

Source: pgurus.com

Renault-Nissan Partners with Waymo to Experiment with Self-driving Cars

The French automobile company, Renault has partnered with Waymo, the automobile subsidiary of tech giant Alphabet Inc., to bring new autonomous cars to France and Japan. The venture also includes Renault’s Japanese partner Nissan, which will be responsible for the launch of those self-driving cars in Japan.

waymo Self-driving cars
Image Source: engadget.com

With this partnership, Renault and Nissan will be researching on how self-driving cars can help in easing-out the transportation of humans as well as goods and develop driverless mobility services for the same. Noticeably, Waymo has already brought such vehicles in Arizona called Waymo One and a limited robo-taxi pilot program in suburban Phoenix last year. Though the launched cars are fully-autonomous, there is always a human monitor sitting on the other front seat of the car for emergencies.

The companies will also work on the commercial, legal and regularity issues, that are related to the development of self-driving cars and making the transportation-as-a-service for both the countries.

According to the reports, the agreement between the companies has been done for a limited but unspecified time. There has been no comment on the same from either of the company. The agreement also has restricted all the three to work with other companies on a similar project.

“This is an ideal opportunity for Waymo to bring our autonomous technology to a global stage, with an innovative partner. With the Alliance’s international reach and scale, our Waymo Driver can deliver transformational mobility solutions to safely serve riders and commercial deliveries in France, Japan, and other countries,” said John Krafcik, CEO Waymo, in a statement.

Though Waymo is quite excited about this merger, the venture will be a 50-50 partnership between Renault and Nissan for both the countries, and there has been no hint on the role of Waymo for the same. The two companies will be setting up a joint committee to work together in France and Japan.

Earlier, the two companies were in talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) to bring next-generation technology and work in the field of self-driving cars. But the merger could not take place, and FCA withdrew the agreement.