AWS, BMW Launch Cloud-Based Vehicle Data Platform

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and BMW have partnered to develop and roll out cloud software for connected vehicle data. 

The new platform seeks to create a single, holistic hub for collecting vehicle data, helping automakers gain insight into their fleets, identify areas for improvement and implement developments. With the proliferation of connected cars, the sheer volume of data sets to be recorded is rapidly rising, and developing usable, interoperable ways of collecting and analyzing this data is an industry must. 

“We have 20 million connected vehicles on the road today,” said Nicolai Krämer, vice president of vehicle connectivity platforms at BMW. “With the launch of the ‘Neue Klasse,’ BMW’s next generation of vehicles, our offboard cloud platform, powered by AWS, will process roughly triple the volume of vehicle data compared to the current generation of BMW models.”

The co-developed solution collects BMW vehicle signals and fleet intelligence data, then securely processes and passes the data onto the cloud. AWS provides analytics, machine learning, as well as secure storage for this information, with these capabilities used to create new vehicle features and upgrades.

“Rapid, data-fueled innovation is critical to unlocking next-generation vehicle capabilities for automotive organizations,” said Sarah Cooper, general manager of AWS industry products. “As the industry looks to expand electric vehicle adoption, software-defined vehicle development, new digital service paradigms, and more autonomous vehicle features…we are building infrastructure today that will generate value for the next generation of vehicles.”

BMW will be the first automotive group to use the new software, though it will also be made available to other automakers, enabling add-on features like electric vehicle range improvements and performance upgrades.