Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co.’s Autonomic today signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group. Under the agreement, the automaker will bring the Transportation Mobility Cloud (TMC), a transportation and mobility solution for connected vehicles developed by Autonomic, to China.
Enabled by Alibaba Cloud, the TMC will serve as an open, cloud-based platform that provides standardized data and infrastructure for developers to quickly build value-added software programs for interacting with connected vehicles.
The software could help deliver a better in-vehicle connectivity and mobility experience for Chinese consumers, helping plan transit journeys, manage large-scale fleets for ride-hailing businesses, and routing self-driving cars on busy streets.
“The TMC is positioned to help automakers succeed and meet growing demand for connected vehicles and mobility services in China,” says Gavin Sherry, co-founder and CEO of Autonomic. “Through this partnership with Alibaba Cloud, we will accelerate our vision of creating the largest connected vehicle offering globally, while powering smart cities and vehicle connectivity in China.”
The companies agreed to explore new collaboration opportunities in the transportation and mobility sectors and have the ultimate goal to create a safer, more efficient and sustainable transportation ecosystem in China.
“Alibaba Cloud and Autonomic share the same vision of redefining the future of vehicle connectivity through technology,” says Simon Hu of Alibaba Cloud. “With our new collaboration, we will be able to empower the transportation ecosystem and ultimately benefit the end users.”
Ford Smart Mobility announced the acquisition of Autonomic in February to accelerate innovation and delivery speed in mobility initiatives like the drive toward full connectivity, micro-transit solutions, and non-emergency medical transportation. Autonomic has opened an office in Shanghai.
“This partnership between Autonomic and Alibaba Cloud marks another significant milestone in our cooperation with Alibaba in China and supports our vision of becoming the world’s most trusted mobility company,” says Fleet. “Working with Alibaba, we aim to help shape the future of mobility in one of the world’s largest and most dynamic markets.”
Ford and Alibaba signed a letter of intent last December agreeing to jointly explore areas of cooperation in mobility services, connectivity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital marketing.
