Ryan is a senior editor at TechForge Media with more than a decade of experience covering new technologies and interviewing industry leaders. You can often see him at tech conferences with an espresso in one hand and a laptop in the other. If it's different you'll like it.
TomTom has partnered with Microsoft to bring productive artificial intelligence to the automotive industry.
The partnership creates an intelligent communication system that facilitates communication through infotainment, location and vehicle commands.
Artificial Intelligence Assistant - The result of combining TomTom's intelligence with Microsoft's advances in artificial intelligence allows drivers to talk to their cars. Drivers can seamlessly instruct the assistant to navigate to specific locations, identify stops along their route, and verbally control onboard systems. With a single interaction, drivers can adjust the temperature, open windows, or change radio stations.
The solution leverages Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, incorporating large language models, along with Azure Kubernetes Services, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Cognitive Services.
TomTom says the voice assistant can be seamlessly integrated into various automotive infotainment systems, allowing manufacturers to expedite time-to-market on a customisable interface while maintaining ownership of their brand and driver experience. TomTom’s Digital Cockpit – an open, modular in-vehicle infotainment platform – also features the new assistant.
“Together with Microsoft, our shared vision is to drive innovation with generative AI and provide our customers with even better solutions,” says Mike Schoofs, Chief Revenue Officer at TomTom.
“Leveraging our navigation and technology expertise, we’re creating a groundbreaking new way for people to interact with their vehicles. With both companies integrating what they do best into one solution, we’re transforming the in-vehicle experience, enabling drivers to ask their car for anything and trust it will deliver.”
This collaboration marks a significant evolution in the partnership between TomTom and Microsoft, which began in 2016 with TomTom powering Azure Maps location services. The companies expanded their collaboration to mapping data and services for Microsoft’s first-party maps.
The new focus for TomTom and Microsoft’s partnership is to drive innovation in generative AI-powered automotive solutions and the creation of powerful in-vehicle digital cockpit and infotainment solutions with cloud analytics.
“With this next generation of AI, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation across the entire automotive sector,” explains Dominik Wee, Corporate Vice President for Manufacturing and Mobility at Microsoft.
“We’re building on our longstanding collaboration with TomTom and bringing together AI advances across the Microsoft Cloud with TomTom’s automotive expertise to provide drivers and carmakers with new AI-powered tools.”
