Intel Creates $100 Million Cloud Computing Connected Cars Fund.
Thursday, March 1 2012.
Arvind Sodhani, executive vice president of Intel Corporation and president of Intel Capital.
Intel Capital Connected Car Fund targeted at technologies that will deliver new in-vehicle infotainment solutions, seamless mobile connectivity, compelling applications and advanced driver assistance systems.
Intel Capital announced a $100 million investment fund to help accelerate innovation and the adoption of new technology and services in the automotive industry. Intel Capital is the first global technology investment organization headquartered in Silicon Valley to announce a dedicated focus on automotive technology innovation.
"The car is the ultimate mobile device," said Staci Palmer, general manager of Intel's Automotive Solutions Division. "By 2014, automobiles will be among the top three fastest-growing areas for connected devices and Internet content. Intel's experience in developing personal computing, software, security and cloud computing technologies will bring a new level of innovation to the car to enhance the driving experience for both drivers and passengers."
The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will be invested globally over the next 4 to 5 years in hardware, software and services companies developing technologies to promote new, compelling in-vehicle applications and enable the seamless connection between vehicles and any connected device, including mobile devices and sensors.
"Technology has become an integral component of everyday life, with consumers demanding uninterrupted access to the Internet and the constant flow of information, news, entertainment, and social media," said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. "Automobiles must be able to provide these same consistent and engaging computing experiences, but in a safe manner. The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will drive the development of technologies to enhance the in-vehicle experience of the future."
To help realize that vision, areas of investment for the Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will include technologies that advance the next generation of in-vehicle infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems and seamless mobile connectivity. This includes new in-vehicle applications and development tools, next-generation ADAS technologies and multimodal capabilities such as speech recognition, gesture recognition and eye tracking optimized for the connected car.
The announcement is part of Intel's ongoing work with automakers and in-vehicle infotainment suppliers to help integrate advanced technologies into cars. Ultimately, the connected car will have the intelligence and context awareness to offer the right information, at the right time and in the right way to keep drivers and passengers informed, entertained and productive while maintaining optimal safety. Once the car becomes connected, it can also communicate with the cloud, the transportation infrastructure and even other vehicles to provide additional services such as advanced driver assistance and real-time traffic information to optimize the flow of traffic.
RSA: Your Next Car Might Just Steal Itself
Mar 02, 2012
"Your next car might just steal itself." That was the tag line that convinced me to meet with Covisint at the 2012 RSA Conference. Covisint's Chief Security Officer Dave Miller filled me in on how a connected car might be hacked, and how Covisint works to prevent such a hack.
Covisint started out as a service company connecting automakers with parts suppliers. With the emergence of just-in-time shipping in the nineties, the responsibility for keeping parts in stock moved to the suppliers. Each supplier needed secure access to inventory data at multiple automakers; Covisint supplied single sign-on authentication to manage these relationships.
More recently Covisint began mediating the connection between drivers and the OnStar safety system. "You've seen that ad where the businesswoman starts the family car remotely?," asked Miller. "Right—that was us making it happen." The Web portal for OnStar is likewise managed by Covisint.
Millier likened the modern connected auto to a printer. You can send documents to the printer, sure, but you can also log in to check ink levels and otherwise manage the printer. It's the same with a car; you can check tire pressure, oil life, and so on. "The car is the same, just a lot faster," quipped Miller.
You can already unlock or start a car remotely. Some cars can parallel park themselves. Miller mentioned several coming enhancements including the ability to reconfigure the car for fast-starting "sport mode" or switch instead to maximum gas-saving for long trips. So, if it's possible to start a car and control the steering, acceleration, and braking, what's to stop a malicious car hacker or app from stealing the car remotely and auto-driving it to the nearest chop shop?
Covisint is ready with technology to keep that car in your driveway. A security certificate in the on-board software uniquely identifies the car, and each app developer also registers for a certificate. On registration, the car, the app, and the mobile device are all linked in Covisint's cloud database. Only the user who knows the PIN and owns the mobile device can send commands to the car.
That's not all. Commands are sent as encrypted action tokens which can be set to expire anywhere from immediately on use to months later. In theory, there should be no way for a hacker to break this security, but even if he did, he'd gain control of one car. "Hackers don't attack one system," noted Miller. "They'll attack a million computers in hopes of infecting a thousand. Hacking into one car isn't cost-effective."
My car doesn't respond to anything but the occasional swift kick, but I know I'll eventually have a car that's fully connected. I'm encouraged to know that deep thinkers like Dave Miller are already prepared to ensure that car responds to me and only me.
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