Google & Renault Working On Software-Defined Car

Google and Renault have expanded their partnership which has been around for 4 years. This expansion of the partnership involves the development of a software-defined vehicle which will be built on top of Google’s Android Automotive operating system which is meant for cars and will have deep synergy with the Google Cloud with data being parsed by Google’s data centres over latency-free 5G networks that will potentially open avenues for limitless V2X possibilities. 

Google partnered with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance in 2018 for native use of Google’s Android Automotive platform which also includes services like Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Play Store. This expansion also means that Renault will now use Google Cloud as its defacto cloud computing platform over things like Microsoft Azure and AWS, which is a big win for Google’s fledgling cloud computing business which trails AWS and Azure. 

This partnership doesn’t include Nissan and Mitsubishi as after the fiasco with former Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, the alliance itself is dead in the water. That being said, it extends to brands owned by Renault like Dacia, Alpine, Mobilize and Renault itself. 

Google and Renault say that this deal will enable them to create a virtual carbon copy of a vehicle that has advanced AI capabilities for easier and continuous integration of new services into the vehicle and the creation of new onboard and offboard apps. This partnership will enhance Renault’s simulation capabilities and improve the vehicle’s operations with real-time diagnostics. Hence, using Google’s Cloud Renault will be able to tell its users when the car needs maintenance or would be able to fix a problem itself. 

The cars will be able to provide more personalised experiences that include data about driver behaviour, frequently visited destinations and EV charging locations. The data analytics tools can be scaled for data around the insurance of the car as well. 

Renault isn’t the only one doing this as many automakers strive to catch up to Tesla. OTA updates have changed the way automakers are thinking about their products. They are looking at selling base hardware and then charging further for software features. 

For Google, this is another coupe as it now can count the likes of Renault with GM, Honda, Volvo, Ford and BMW. Stellantis has a similar deal with Amazon so everyone in the industry is looking at it.