Business
trend:
Today,
about 1,000 million cars are running on the earth, and people trade information
using 1,500 million PCs and 1,800 million smartphones. Automakers naturally
ally with IT-related companies to develop smart cars as epitomized by the
alliance between Google and leading automakers including GM and Honda. The development
of smart cars is now crucial for every automaker in the world. Fujitsu collects
and analyzes information, such as location and speed, from 4,000 taxies
traveling inside Tokyo. It receives 23 million data every day and combines them
with information on weather, traffic, and dangerous points besides information
coming from social networking services. Fujitsu’s service allows taxi drivers to
know the places from which smartphone users complain how hard it is to get a
taxi.
The
move to develop smart cars stimulates related industries. Demand for electronic
parts vital to smart cars is growing fast. Toshiba plans to mass-produce sophisticated
semiconductors for image processing starting last half of this year. Toshiba’s
semiconductor can process images of four in-car cameras at the same time, and
Toshiba plans to develop even more powerful and sophisticated semiconductors. Panasonic
unveiled its information system that allows a car driver to check the instruments
and display devices quickly and easily. It is developing a system that allows a
car driver to operate such actions as closing the door, turning on and off the
air-conditioner, and performing automatic parking using his smartphone. Nidec acquired
Honda Elesys with a view to participating in the market by developing a technology
for fuel efficiency and better maneuverability with the help of electronic control
unit.
Makers
of car navigation systems also plan to participate in the market because the
spread of smartphone decreases sales of car navigation systems. Pioneer allied
with NTT DoCoMo to provide car goods dealers and nonlife insurance companies
with driving information based on big data. Clarion developed an automatic
parking system in alliance with Hitachi. It will grow more important for every
automaker to make their cars more appealing in alliance with IT companies
instead of pursuing only such traditional yardsticks as speed and fuel
efficiency.
Fujitsu utilizes big data for safer and more
convenient traffic systems
Panasonic participates in the smart car
development competiton
No comments:
Post a Comment