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CES: AWS Spotlights IoT and AI Integrations
At this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and its partners showcased the ways in which the cloud provider's various IoT and AI offerings are creating new opportunities for software makers, particularly in the automotive space.
For instance, AWS is integrating its IoT cloud platform with the BlackBerry QNX operating system for embedded devices to develop a new "connected vehicle software platform for in-vehicle applications." The idea is that BlackBerry's QNX would provide the backbone for the "smart" in-vehicle operating systems that are now running in many modern cars, while the AWS cloud will provide the real-time data collection and application development/deployment capabilities that automotive software makers need.
"QNX software allows automotive OEMs to develop and run a common software platform across in-vehicle systems such as gateways, TCUs, engine controllers, digital cockpits and emerging domain controllers, while AWS capabilities enable automotive software developers to securely and easily access data from vehicle sensors, build software applications and machine learning (ML) models using vehicle data, and deploy them inside the vehicle to enable in-vehicle inference and actions," the two companies said in a press release Monday.
The combined offering opens new possibilities for applications aimed specifically at connected cars, from real-time systems checks and battery life monitoring, to improved accessibility features, to maintenance and warranty cost management.
"The platform will integrate the BlackBerry QNX operating system and over-the-air software update services, with AWS IoT cloud services for secure connectivity and telematics, Amazon SageMaker for developing ML models, and AWS IoT edge services for in-vehicle ML inference," the companies said.
The combined platform is already being used by electric vehicle manufacturer Karma to monitor the battery health of its cars. A demo of the BlackBerry/AWS platform running in a Karma vehicle is on view at CES this week.
Also on view at CES are new AWS-based technologies that advance vehicle connectivity. One demo integrates Alexa, AWS machine learning and Amazon Rekognition capabilities to power an in-vehicle digital assistant. Another shows interactions between smart home systems and cars powered by Alexa. Other demos show how AWS cloud technologies can help automakers manage their autonomous fleets. A roundup of AWS demos at CES is available here.