Mapping and location technology company Here has signed a 10-year deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to use its cloud computing infrastructure.
In a deal valued at $1 billion, Here will combine AWS technologies with its mapping solutions to help automakers develop location-sensitive technologies for their vehicles.
The cloud computing infrastructure will be used to further the development of software-defined vehicles - which can get software updates via the cloud, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and automated driving (AD).
As data-intensive operations, Here hopes that by using AWS computing capabilities it will be able to scale easily and reduce time to market.
Here's new SceneXtract software, which helps automakers to take information from Here's HD Live Map - a cloud-based mapping service - is also part of the AWS agreement. The service will use AWS' natural language processing and generative AI services to remove the need for manual searching, locating, and converting real-world environments into simulation-ready scenes to help automakers speed up simulations for training their ADAS and AD functions.
“Location technology is at the heart of the automotive industry's software-defined vehicle revolution, and Here's collaboration with AWS is boosting our ability to deliver game-changing tools that dramatically accelerate this complex transformation for our customers," said Mike Nefkens, CEO at Here. "By fusing Here’s industry-leading location intelligence with AWS's cloud capabilities and global reach, we're empowering automakers to rapidly evolve their vehicles into cutting-edge software platforms."
“The future of the auto industry is linked to technological advancement and invention, and our collaboration with Here is a powerful example of how AWS is accelerating innovation across manufacturing, connected vehicles, and driver experiences,” added Matt Garman, CEO at AWS. “Working with Here, we will help automakers pioneer new ways to improve the driving experience by leveraging the global scale, reliability, and AI capabilities of AWS to power AI-driven mapping applications and features.”
The new agreement will also see Here using AWS' artificial intelligence (AI) models and cloud computing capabilities for its mapping and location information for transportation and logistics solutions which will then be offered via the AWS Marketplace for third-party developers.
Here has been a long-term customer of AWS, having used AWS for its core cloud infrastructure, data platform, and analytics and using AWS' AI and ML services for the last decade. The company's mapping and location service covers more than 200 territories and countries, and has more than 44 million connected vehicles.
Here Technologies was founded in 1985, then known as Navteq, and gained the Here moniker in 2012 after it was acquired by Nokia. It is now majority-opened by a consortium of German automotive companies including Audi, BMW, and the Mercedes-Benz Group, as well as Intel.
In 2023, BMW deepened its partnership with AWS with plans to keep data from its autonomous and assisted vehicle efforts on AWS' cloud platform. The company aims to launch its ADAS this year.
Other autonomous vehicle developers to use AWS include Lotus Technology and Torc Robotics.
