Driving innovation: The hybrid cloud advantage in automotive

In the automotive and manufacturing sectors, innovation and the ability to swiftly adapt to change are critical, and those who can meet the growing demand of evolving quickly will lead the way.

This is where the hybrid cloud model steps in. It blends the best of on-premises and cloud solutions to create a resilient, flexible, and powerful IT infrastructure. And according to The Economist, while cloud computing is expanding rapidly, on-premises infrastructure remains vital, especially for industries like automotive. Hybrid solutions are a glimpse of the future, but they’re also an immediate necessity for staying competitive and fostering innovation.

The automotive and manufacturing sectors face unique challenges that demand advanced solutions. These include ensuring business continuity, maintaining low latency at the edge, and managing complex data flows.

As a result, the need for intelligent data infrastructure to support hybrid cloud use cases such as autonomous driving, smart manufacturing, and simulation bursting is critical. These domains are not only looking for ways to streamline operations but also seeking solutions that can scale and adapt to new technological advancements without compromising performance or security.

At NetApp, our mission is to enable seamless hybrid cloud environments with state-of-the-art data management solutions that keep your critical applications running with minimal latency and your sensitive data secure and compliant. You’ll also be able to leverage the cloud’s scalability and innovation without compromising on performance.

In addition, NetApp’s native integration (complete with all major hyperscalers) will deliver authentic hybrid cloud solutions that meet the unique demands of automotive and manufacturing industries.

Combining cloud and on-premises solutions allows automotive and manufacturing companies to take advantage of the strengths of both environments.

Storing sensitive data locally, such as vehicle designs, keeps intellectual property within the organization and maintains control over data location and access. It also allows the easy integration of existing systems, preserving investments in specialized hardware or software.

On-premises solutions are essential for applications that require low latency, ensuring optimal performance for time-sensitive operations.

In contrast, the public cloud provides unmatched scalability, enabling organizations to quickly adapt resources based on demand without significant upfront hardware costs. In addition, it helps avoid long and inefficient procurement cycles. How? Because it offers flexibility through access to a wide range of cloud services and tools, fostering rapid innovation and deployment.

Because the public cloud is constantly evolving you benefit from the latest technology and advanced models. Sounds like a win to me!

Cloud bursting is a revolutionary technique for handling excess workloads by dynamically allocating resources from the public cloud. It involves efficient data management, where data is cached intelligently, ensuring that only necessary data is transferred to the cloud.

This approach reduces the need for full dataset replication and enhances operational excellence by maintaining seamless data flow without overwhelming the on-premises infrastructure.

• High-performance computing and computer-aided engineering (HPC/CAE) simulations. Engineers can push data from cloud repositories to on-premises locations to overcome latency issues during testing. NetApp^® technology is designed precisely for these scenarios, so that data is transferred efficiently and securely.
• Autonomous driving. Developing autonomous driving technology requires a hybrid model in which data pipelines span from edge to core to cloud. This supports both on-premises and cloud-based HPC, offering the flexibility to tailor solutions based on contracts, existing technology, and specific requirements. The ability to handle vast amounts of data, perform real-time analysis, and maintain high levels of security is crucial for the development and deployment of autonomous driving systems.
• Connecting the shop floor to the public cloud. This use case involves leveraging advanced cloud services while keeping the majority of data close to the edge or shop floor location. It ensures low latency and high reliability for critical manufacturing processes, while benefiting from cloud-based solutions’ scalability and innovation.
• Racetrack teams. High-performance teams like Porsche Motorsport, Aston Martin, and Ducati rely on hybrid cloud solutions daily for advanced decision-making. They balance costs and reduce environmental impact by minimizing the need for transporting heavy IT hardware globally. This also enables them to access and analyze data in real time, making informed decisions quickly.

By combining the strengths of on-premises and cloud environments, you achieve unparalleled flexibility, efficiency, and innovation.

Enterprises like yours that don’t wait to master and operationalize the hybrid cloud will lead the charge in their industries. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of revolutionizing your operations to stay ahead of the curve!

For more information about the technologies discussed in this blog post, check out the NetApp automotive solutions page, AWS’s Cloud Bursting in AWS with NetApp article, and the article on cloud bursting in Computer Weekly.