Fujitsu and VMware has announced an expanded strategic collaboration to bring innovative IoT solutions to customers in the automobile industry. Extending Fujitsu and VMware’s longstanding collaboration, the Fujitsu OTA Reprograming Solution will be combined with VMware IoT solutions, enabling automobile manufacturers and partners to drive robust solutions in the future with connected cars and autonomous driving. 
“Fujitsu has partnered with VMware since 2006, and we are pleased to say that our partnership with VMware now extends to the IoT industry as well. For our OTA Reprograming Solution, as we are seeing increasing demands from automobile manufacturers and their tier 1 components manufacturers as a global standard, we will provide an OTA platform for connected cars by integrating VMware IoT solutions into our secure and effective OTA Reprograming Solution. We look forward to fostering these offerings in our mobile business,” said Shikou Kikuta, SVP, Head of Mobility IoT Business Unit, Fujitsu Limited.
According to both firms, the automobile industry is rapidly moving toward incorporating more advanced technologies for connected cars, including automated driving. Several automobile manufacturers are investing in these technologies for connected cars, which will use new cloud services in the future.
As the number of electronic control units (ECUs) that manage automotive parts increases in cars, the software that is embedded into the ECUs has become more sophisticated, and in turn, is becoming more challenging to manage. Automobile recalls due to software issues can pose challenges for automobile manufacturers. With more technologies being integrated into vehicles, it is imperative for automobile manufacturers to have the ability to quickly and easily reprogram software as required, while also being able to manage and monitor software versions individually.
To help global automobile manufacturers and their tier 1 components manufacturers, Fujitsu will team with VMware to provide a one-stop service to meet automobile manufacturers’ reliability requirements by integrating VMware IoT solutions into Fujitsu’s OTA Reprograming Solution.
“The connected car industry continues to proliferate, and innovative and sophisticated technologies play a key role in the way automobile manufacturers can create a unique and enjoyable experience for drivers,” said Mimi Spier, vice president, Internet of Things, VMware. “We see our collaboration with Fujitsu as a significant benefit for automobile manufacturers, as we empower them to easily and quickly deploy software updates in a secure and seamless manner to their connected cars.”
