In the ongoing Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA) Mobility 2023, German automotive supplier Continental announced joining hands with Google Cloud to equip cars with generative AI, making Continental one of the first automotive suppliers to integrate Google Cloud capabilities directly into vehicle computers. With this, drivers can interact with their cars in a natural dialogue.

The new feature will help drivers with all the vehicle information as the two companies each bring their respective expertise to the partnership, namely in automotive, software, AI and cloud computing, a company press release on September 4 said.

At the marquee automotive event, Continental is showcasing the integration of the generative AI system in its Smart Cockpit High-Performance Computer (HPC) solution with a demonstration vehicle.

Significance: Google Cloud’s AI-powered system lets drivers talk with their car. Continental ensures that the system has access to specific vehicle information, such as the operating manual. This means it can even tell the driver where the USB port is or what the required tire pressure is when the car is fully loaded. Google Cloud’s generative AI allows the system to constantly learn, create new content and adapt to the user’s preferences.

With this new technology feature, Continental said it is offering another building block for the ecosystem from the road to the cloud, and is expanding the functions for instrumentation, entertainment and driver assistance that are pre-integrated in its Smart Cockpit HPC. Thus, the company is reducing development time and effort, complexity and costs for automotive manufacturers. The Smart Cockpit HPC combines user experience and system performance while meeting customer requirements for typical cockpit designs with driver and center displays. This all means a fast time to market — from order receipt to production in 18 months.

Continental was the first supplier to pave the way for HPC-driven vehicle architectures. Together with Volkswagen, Continental put the first central HPC into production for the entire network of ID. electric models. By the end of 2024 alone, 30 vehicle models from different manufacturers will roll off the assembly line equipped with HPCs from Continental.

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