At the recent Consumer Electronic Show 2017, Microsoft announced its plan to push its cloud services and digital assistance to automated cars. Microsoft Azure and Cortana will soon become a car standard as Nissan, BMW, Toyota, and Volvo have expressed their intention to implement the platform.
Automated cars have been at the center of focus of major automobile manufacturers in recent years, and several improvements have been made to upgrade their performance and safety. Although there have been many cases of vehicular accidents and incompatibilities with automated cars, the technology is gradually getting close to being available to the general public.
Microsoft has unveiled its "Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform," which is intended to do important tasks like predictive maintenance, in-car productivity, and navigation. The platform is not an operating system for cars. The feature will simply maximize Microsoft's existing services.
"It's a living, agile platform that starts with the cloud as the foundation," Peggy Johnson, Microsoft's EVP of Business Development said.
The platform is built with Azure as its basic foundation. Azure is a cloud service by Microsoft, which was initially intended to be used to gather medical data and other essential data servicing for business entities. Cortana will be the official digital assistant. The Artificial Intelligence system can keep tabs on the driver's schedule and daily routine.
Other Microsoft products included on the platform are Office 365 and Skype for Business. Collectively, these Microsoft products connected to a single platform will maximize a vehicle's potential, including its sensors and usage information.
Microsoft recently revealed that it plans to enable cars to automatically check the owner's route and schedule once he/she gets on the driver's seat. It is also possible that the car will find shortcut routes or alternative routes to escape traffic. An auto-parking feature is intended to be developed for the car as well.
Renault-Nissan will be the first car to use the Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform, while Toyota, Volvo, and BMW will apply the technology in their next line of products.