Fujitsu, a leading multinational IT equipment and services company, and VMware, a leader in virtualisation and cloud infrastructure, have announced an expanded strategic collaboration to bring innovative IoT solutions to customers in the automobile industry.
Extending Fujitsu and VMware’s longstanding collaboration, the Fujitsu OTA Reprograming Solution will be combined with VMware IoT solutions, enabling automobile manufacturers and partners to drive robust solutions in the future with connected cars and autonomous driving, said a statement from the company.
The automobile industry is rapidly moving toward incorporating more advanced technologies for connected cars, including automated driving. Several automobile manufacturers are investing in these technologies for connected cars, which will use new cloud services in the future, it said.
As the number of electronic control units (ECUs) that manage automotive parts increases in cars, the software that is embedded into the ECUs has become more sophisticated, and in turn, is becoming more challenging to manage, it added.
Automobile recalls due to software issues can pose challenges for automobile manufacturers. With more technologies being integrated into vehicles, it is imperative for automobile manufacturers to have the ability to quickly and easily reprogram software as required, while also being able to manage and monitor software versions individually.
To help global automobile manufacturers and their tier 1 components manufacturers, Fujitsu will team with VMware to provide a one-stop service to meet automobile manufacturers’ reliability requirements by integrating VMware IoT solutions into Fujitsu’s OTA Reprograming Solution, said a statement.
Fujitsu and VMware will provide multiple technologies as part of the one-stop cloud service for connected cars, including:
Fujitsu
•The software of ECUs in further advanced functions come from the popularisation of connected cars. The company will provide its OTA Reprograming Solution, connecting with the cloud environment, and apply the delta update technology of software to efficiently manage and update essential software for connected cars.
•Fujitsu will provide security technologies mounted through the business of Fujitsu feature phones, smartphones, etc. from automobile development sites to the assembly factories and throughout the automobile’s lifecycle.
VMware
•VMware IoT solutions, with Fujitsu’s OTA Reprogramming Solution will enable automobile manufacturers to quickly provide OTA software updates as necessary to all the devices in a car.
•VMware IoT solutions can expand rapidly, providing agility for the global deployment of services and advanced security technologies for connected cars.
Starting with developments for the automotive industry, Fujitsu and VMware will also collaborate to expand their combined offerings of differentiated services in the mobility space.
Shikou Kikuta, senior vice president, head of mobility IoT business unit, Fujitsu Limited, said: “Our company has partnered with VMware since 2006, and we are pleased to say that our partnership now extends to the IoT industry as well.”
“For our OTA Reprograming Solution, as we are seeing increasing demands from automobile manufacturers and their tier 1 components manufacturers as a global standard, we will provide an OTA platform for connected cars by integrating VMware IoT solutions into our secure and effective OTA Reprograming Solution. We look forward to fostering these offerings in our mobile business,” he said.
Mimi Spier, vice president, IoT, VMware, said: “The connected car industry continues to proliferate, and innovative and sophisticated technologies play a key role in the way automobile manufacturers can create a unique and enjoyable experience for drivers.”
“We see our collaboration with Fujitsu as a significant benefit for automobile manufacturers, as we empower them to easily and quickly deploy software updates in a secure and seamless manner to their connected cars,” Spier concluded.