Microsoft and Toyota have just announced its patent licensing agreement. The partnership aims to empower V2V (vehicle to vehicle) communication and increase energy efficiency.
Reports about giant tech companies Apple and Samsung Electronics secretly getting into the smart car project have been floating on the rumor mills. However, none from the two companies have confirmed the rumor. Although the latter has reportedly finalized its acquisition of Harman, smart car components manufacturer, it still has not made the official announcement regarding its plans for the smart car project.
Recently, it was Microsoft that turned out to be the first giant tech company to confirm its venture into the automotive market. The company has just announced its newest business tie-up with Toyota.
Microsoft announced through a blog post its new patent licensing agreement with Toyota Corp. The agreement will cover widely the technologies for connected cars.
According to Microsoft VP and Chief IP Counsel Erich Andersen, the company aims to expand its research and development to further service the needs of the customers of car companies. The tech giant envisions to be the key player behind telematics, safety, infotainment and other systems in connected cars.
The blog also mentioned that Toyota sees this as an exciting point in the automotive industry. According to Tokuhisa Nomura, the executive general manager of Toyota's Advanced R&D and Engineering Company, there is a need for automakers to link with technology giants, such as Microsoft, to be able to develop the "best, most immersive connected car experiences."
Tokuhisa Nomura also added that they will be empowered to speed up innovations through this patent licensing agreement. This partnership aims to produce "new, contextual and immersive experiences" to the clients of Toyota.
In another report, it was noted that Microsoft foresees an exponential demand with regard to services linked to connected cars. From 6.9 million cars featuring data connectivity per year in 2015, forecasts now reflect a blown up projection of 61 million cars by 2020.
Aside from the current technology features present in connected cars, the partnership envisions to take on the enablement of V2V (vehicle to vehicle) communication. Moreover, the patent licensing agreement also aims to increase energy efficiency as the partnership progresses in the future, TNHOnline has noted.
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