(Redmond, WA, Thursday, February 11, 2021) – Automated driving is already resulting in fundamental and disruptive changes to transportation and society, on the order of the invention of the automobile itself. Its opportunity to dramatically increase productivity and reduce accident-related deaths and suffering is monumental. Human driver error is the primary cause of 94 percent of all traffic accidents, and experts predict fully autonomous vehicles will allow Americans to reclaim 70 billion hours every year, reducing stress and increasing productivity.

Over the past several years, Microsoft has worked closely with customers and partners to understand and address the complex and sophisticated requirements of automated driving development. With the expansion of the partnership with the Volkswagen Group, Microsoft is taking the next step to help mobility companies accelerate the delivery of automated driving innovations that provide safe and comfortable driving experiences at scale.

Volkswagen Group and Microsoft will develop the cloud-based Automated Driving Platform leveraging Microsoft Azure cloud, data and machine learning services which will help the Volkswagen Group to:  

• Simplify the development processes of automated driving functions, efficiently manage the huge amount of data and reduce development cycles from months to weeks.
• Bring automated driving solutions to the Group’s cars even faster.

For more information, the full press release is available at this link: https://news.microsoft.com/?p=440852.