The automotive world is in the fast lane of change, and it seems AI data cloud firm Snowflake is keen to be in the driver’s seat.
Snowflake just announced a push for their AI Data Cloud for Manufacturing to focus on developing solutions designed for the automotive industry. It’s a clear signal of their intent to help automotive players get a real grip on the mountains of data modern vehicles and factories are churning out.
It’s not like Snowflake is new to the manufacturing game. Since way back in April 2023, they’ve seen some pretty impressive uptake. We’re talking a 416% jump in folks developing data applications and kicking off collaboration projects on their platform.
The numbers don’t stop there. Analytics deployments are up by 185% as manufacturers dig deeper for those golden nuggets of business insight. And, perhaps unsurprisingly in today’s AI-driven climate, data science solutions have seen an 188% surge to power advanced predictive modelling and those all-important AI applications.
Now, Snowflake isn’t just looking at manufacturing in general; they’re putting the automotive sector squarely in their sights. This investment is a direct response to a growing chorus from global manufacturers, car companies included, who aim to speed up their digital makeovers and get AI working for them.
The car industry is being reinvented before our very eyes. We’ve got connected cars that are more like computers on wheels, the steady march of autonomous driving, the undeniable shift to electrification, and the ongoing revolution of Industry 4.0 in how cars are actually built.
This isn’t just a minor tune-up; it’s a full engine rebuild for the car industry, and it spits out absolutely colossal volumes of data—from designing the next hot model, to the factory floor, right through the supply chain, and even after the car leaves the showroom.
This is where Snowflake believes its powerful data sharing and AI smarts, combined with a network of specialist partners, can really make a difference.
Snowflake’s idea is to help everyone in the auto ecosystem – suppliers, the big OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), distributors, sales teams, and service centres – work together more smoothly. They want to help fine-tune production, and tap into real-time data right across the board. And it seems they’re making inroads: Snowflake themselves state that 80% of major automotive OEMs already rely on Snowflake’s platform for their data and AI initiatives.
Tim Long, who heads up manufacturing globally for Snowflake, said: “Modern vehicles are generating unprecedented volumes of data, and automotive companies need AI solutions that are easy to implement, capable of handling massive datasets from across the entire value chain, and trusted for critical decisions.
“Snowflake’s automotive solutions build on our manufacturing expertise to provide the automotive industry with the foundation they need to integrate data across their operations, scale their connected vehicle initiatives, and accelerate innovation in this rapidly evolving market.”
We’re already seeing some familiar names in the automotive space, like CarMax, Cox Automotive, Nissan, and Penske Logistics, using Snowflake’s platform. They’re tapping into it for advanced analytics, gleaning insights from connected vehicles in real-time, and collaborating on data securely.
Abhi Bhatt, VP of Data & Analytics Engineering at CarMax, commented: “By modernising our data platform with Snowflake, we’ve enhanced our agility to respond quickly to market changes, improved our data coverage, and enabled delivery of a more seamless customer experience.”
So, what does this mean in practice for car companies using Snowflake, especially with its ecosystem of partners and data marketplace? They’re looking to enable businesses to:
- Tear down data silos across the car’s life: Imagine smoothly sharing data between design systems, factory floors, the connected cars themselves, service centres, and even warranty systems. The goal is a complete picture of how a vehicle is performing and what the customer is experiencing. This should speed up development, cut costs, and lead to better services by breaking down those frustrating walls between departments, systems, different clouds, and even external partners.
- Handle the zettabytes from connected cars: Today’s software-defined and autonomous vehicles are data firehoses, spewing out high-resolution sensor and camera information. Snowflake’s architecture, which neatly separates storage from computing power, is built to drink from this firehose, scaling up as data grows without choking on performance. It’s about getting all those vehicle data streams into one place.
- Spark new revenue streams and impress customers: Companies can look to create new ways to make money by securely sharing and selling automotive data products through the Snowflake Marketplace. By getting a full 360-degree view of customer interactions, they can offer more personalised experiences and services, all while collaborating securely with partners and keeping a watchful eye on privacy and compliance.
- Make AI and machine learning accessible to more people: The aim is to open up AI and ML tools beyond just the data science wizards, letting various teams build predictive models without needing to become infrastructure gurus. This could supercharge innovation in vehicle design, improve production quality, and even predict maintenance needs by sifting through billions of data points from thousands of sensors. Teams can use their favourite coding languages and tools to build custom AI apps.
- Build resilient and efficient supply chains: Getting a real-time view across suppliers, inventory, and logistics partners is key to dodging disruptions and trimming costs. Better demand forecasting, fewer stockouts, and less wasted inventory are the prizes here. It’s about turning a tangle of information systems into a unified platform that gets products to market faster.
Snowflake’s deeper dive into automotive feels like a natural next step. They’re helping the industry shift from being traditional manufacturers to becoming more like digital consumer device companies—a massive transformation to navigate one of the biggest tech upheavals the car world has ever seen.
Snowflake isn’t going it alone, of course. They’ve got a whole ecosystem of partners, including big names like Accenture, AWS, Deloitte, and EY, all bringing their automotive-specific solutions, tech, and know-how to the table.
And there’s a longer list of specialists like Blue Yonder, CGI, Cirrus Link Solutions, DXC Technology, evolv Consulting, HighByte, HiveMQ, kipi.ai, LandingAI, LTIMindtree, Mendix, Concept Reply, Sigma, Siemens Digital Industries Software, Tredence Inc., and Vertex Software, who’ve built automotive AI tools on Snowflake.
Plus, through the Snowflake Marketplace, car companies can tap directly into third-party datasets, such as dealer insights, info on EV charging stations, automotive trends, consumer behaviour, mobility data, and vehicle inventory data. It’s all about arming them with more information to make smarter decisions.
The future of motoring is inextricably linked with the intelligent use of data and Snowflake is positioning itself as a crucial enabler in an industry undergoing monumental change.
(Photo by Ildar Garifullin)
See also: Waymo could make your next car self-driving
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