The venture differs from Ford Sync, an increasing controversial in car application. This is a back-end platform, which enables in car applications.
Microsoft Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) today announced they have formed partnership and plan to build on Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform for TMC’s next-generation telematics services using the Windows Azure, which is a so-called cloud platform.
Telematics is the combination of telecommunications and information technologies in vehicles; it can encompass GPS systems, energy management and other multimedia technologies including in car web access, texting, e-mail and cell phone use among other – growing – applications.
Cloud computing is industry jargon for what is the equivalent to how the Wizard of Oz worked hidden behind a curtain. End users need know nothing of the computers, software, and web or data access or storage devices used by the system that delivers the services. Nor do users know what data is being gathered about their personal habits or how it is used. In automotive applications system crashes during operation can be a safety issue. During today’s press conference, Microsoft Silverlite software carrying it crashed on my computer and I was cloudy as to the reason.
As part of the partnership, the Microsoft and Toyota plan to participate in a ¥1 billion yen (~$12 million) investment in Toyota Media Service Co., a TMC subsidiary that offers digital information services to Toyota automotive customers.
General Motors OnStar subsidiary pioneered the use of telematics in vehicles more than two decades ago. The new venture differs from Ford Motor’s Sync an increasing controversial in car application. This is really a back-end platform, which will enable in car applications.
The ongoing expansion of electronics in vehicles is controversial as Distracted Driving accidents are now responsible for more than 5,000 annually in the U.S. However, not all telematics applications are distracted driving enablers.
The two global giants plan to help develop and deploy telematics applications on the Windows Azure platform, which includes Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure, starting with TMC’s electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012. TMC’s goal is to establish a complete global cloud platform by 2015 that will provide affordable and advanced telematics services to Toyota automotive customers around the world.
As part of its smart-grid activities, aimed at achieving a low-carbon society through efficient energy use, TMC is conducting trials in Japan of its Toyota Smart Center pilot program, which plans to link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption. TMC believes that, as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles become more popular, such systems will rely more on telematics services for achieving efficient energy management.
Microsoft has a long history of delivering platforms and services to the automotive market, including in-car infotainment systems built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform, in-car mapping services with Bing and the Microsoft Tellme voice application, and many other consumer solutions.
“Today’s announcement of our partnership with TMC is a great example of how we continue to invest in the automotive industry and of our commitment to power the services that are important to consumers,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “It further validates the power of the cloud, as the Windows Azure platform will provide the enterprise-grade, scalable platform that TMC needs to deliver telematics in its automobiles worldwide,” Ballmer claimed.
“This new partnership between Microsoft and Toyota is an important step in developing greater future mobility and energy management for consumers around the world. Creating these more efficient, more environmentally advanced products will be our contribution to society,” said Akio Toyoda, president of TMC.
