Together with Microsoft, Ola is building a new connected vehicle platform for car manufacturers worldwide. As part of the partnership, Ola on Tuesday announced that Microsoft will be its preferred cloud provider and will use Microsoft Azure to power Ola Play, the company’s existing connected car platform for ride-sharing that was launched last year.
At the heart of the partnership is Ola Play, that will leverage Microsoft Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance driver experiences with telematics, vehicle diagnostics, advanced navigation and predictive maintenance of vehicles; and enhance passenger experiences with cloud-based infotainment and passenger productivity during rides with the use of Office 365, Skype for Business and voice-assisted controls built using Microsoft technologies. It will also provide auto manufacturers with custom digital experiences for their customers.
Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of Ola said, “Globally, the auto industry is experiencing a seismic shift as the definition of automobiles is increasingly changing from gas-powered vehicles to technology-packed, connected devices. With Ola Play, we have already set the tone for connected vehicles in India. Together with Microsoft, we can make the new platform available to a larger, global audience and unlock futuristic experiences for customers worldwide.”
The platform is designed to continually collect, analyse and learn from high volumes of data and user behaviour. This will allow for customised offerings to shape the nature of services and business models, such as usage-based insurance, amongst others. Microsoft and Ola also plan to build superior safety features and advanced driver assistance services.