Skip to main content

Volkswagen partners with Microsoft on connected car platform

Your next Bug might have Windows as a feature — Volkswagen and Microsoft are partnering to create cloud services for VW’s entire fleet, the companies announced on Friday, .

VW anticipates that starting in 2020, more than 5 million new Volkswagen-brand vehicles per year “will be fully connected and will be part of the Internet of Things (IoT).”

Related Videos

VW’s board of directors approved the agreement between the two companies to create the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, which will be based on Microsoft’s Azure enterprise-grade cloud platform and Azure IoT Edge.

The Volkswagen Automotive Cloud will facilitate the development of new in-car consumer services, telematics, and secure data connections between cars and the cloud, the announcement said. It will power all of VW’s brands, including Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, Seat, Skoda, Bugatti, and Ducati.

The work of creating what VW describes as “one of the largest dedicated automotive industry clouds” will largely take place at a new office VW plans to establish near Microsoft’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters. VW expects that the workforce of its North American cloud development office will grow to about 300 engineers “in the near future.” Proximity to the Redmond campus will allow Microsoft to provide assistance for hiring, human resources, and consulting as well as access to its expertise in cloud services and team collaboration.

VW becomes the latest major automaker to announce connected car plans based on Microsoft’s Azure technology. Ford has partnered with Microsoft for several years on technology that delivers over-the-air updates to its Sync in-car entertainment/information systems.

Two years ago, BMW announced its BMW Connected app, which runs on the Azure-based BMW Open Mobility Cloud and delivers driving conditions (e.g. weather, traffic, etc.) and other info to cars in 29 countries. Since then, BMW announced models that enable Office and Exchange services.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance also announced a partnership with Microsoft to create Azure-based connected and self-driving car services.

However, Gartner analyst Michael Ramsey says the VW partnership is more ambitious than these other deals in several respects. Most notably, it’s the first that involves worldwide support: Others do not involve vehicles in every single market. “Microsoft is leveraging its global footprint in data centers to offer a single solution,” Ramsey wrote.

Also, VW’s presence in Redmond means “it’s going to work more closely with Microsoft on software development, learning how to do continuous updates of software,” Ramsey said.

Editors' Recommendations

Is your check engine light on? Here are 10 possible reasons why
Check engine light

While your car can't talk, it communicates with you using chimes, icons, and messages. One icon that you should never ignore is the orange, engine-shaped one that is usually found in the instrument cluster. It turns on when the car's onboard computer detects a problem.

Don't panic if you see it -- it doesn't necessarily mean you'll need to give your next paycheck to the nearest mechanic. Problems that trigger a check engine light are sometimes basic and quick to fix. Don't ignore it, either, and get it checked out as quickly as possible.

Read more
Can electric car batteries be recycled?
electric car charging

The big promise of electric cars is that they’ll radically cut down on carbon emissions, helping fight climate change. And at first glance, they do so — after all, you don’t have to fill the tank with fossil fuels every few days, and there are no emissions from the car itself.

But the truth is a little murkier. Electric cars may not produce emissions themselves, but they have much bigger batteries requiring exotic metals, potentially creating a whole different environmental issue when those batteries near the end of their life span.

Read more
This new Microsoft Bing Chat feature lets you change its behavior
The new Bing chat preview can be seen even on a MacBook.

Microsoft continues updating Bing Chat to address issues and improve the bot. The latest update adds a feature that might make Bing Chat easier to talk to -- and based on some recent reports, it could certainly come in handy.

Starting now, users will be able to toggle between different tones for Bing Chat's responses. Will that help the bot avoid spiraling into unhinged conversations?

Read more