LG partners with Microsoft to speed up the road towards autonomous driving

LG and Microsoft have formed an unlikely partnership – in the automotive space. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two tech companies to grow LG’s autonomous vehicle and infotainment system business.

LG will be leveraging Microsoft’s Azure cloud and AI technologies and using them alongside its own future self-driving software.

Microsoft’s AI expertise will come in to play with LG’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Driver Status Monitoring Camera (DSM) and Multi-Purpose Front Camera products.

LG will also incorporate Microsoft’s Virtual Assistant Solution Accelerator to its infotainment systems.

And with Microsoft’s Azure Data Box, data can be captured on the road and uploaded automatically to create a library that makes the self-driving software even smarter.

Autonomous driving requires high speed computing to make instant decisions in real time.

Microsoft’s Azure will drastically speed up the LG AI self-driving software’s ability to learn and evolve.

For example, road and traffic patterns in cities which would usually take more than a full day for self-driving systems to comprehend, would only take minutes with Azure.

On top of Azure’s ability to train self-driving software, it also has voice-enabled Virtual Assistant Solution Accelerator as part of its AI services.

With Azure’s help, LG’s vehicle infotainment system would make it possible for drivers to quickly check traffic conditions on the road, find places of interest and access their entertainment and favourite content.

“Our expectation is that the combination of Microsoft’s advanced cloud infrastructure with LG’s fast-growing automotive components business will accelerate the self-driving auto industry as a whole,” said Kim Jin-yong, president of LG’s Vehicle Component Solutions Company.

“We’re confident that the combination of Microsoft and LG technologies will create a new benchmark in autonomous auto AI.”

Sanjay Ravi, general manager, automotive industry at Microsoftsaid: “Together LG and Microsoft can help shape the future of transportation.

“Working together, we can empower automakers to deliver differentiated mobility experiences, create new services and revenue opportunities, and to build safer, more intelligent and more sustainable vehicles.”

* Tech Guide travelled to Las Vegas with support from LG, Samsung and Hisense.