How data is driving demand for edge storage solutions in vehicles

The global automotive industry is undergoing a major evolution as several vehicle manufacturers continue the journey towards electrification and complete autonomy. Even the existing connected vehicles have come a long way from their analogue predecessors in a short span of time. Vehicles today are equipped with many new applications and sophisticated sensors to offer better experiences and safety.

For example, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are seeing a rapid market growth and can analyse information from a myriad sensors in real time to physically respond to a potential hazard much faster than even a human driver. From adaptive light control to automatic emergency braking, ADAS applications actively improve safety. This development offers us glimpses of what vehicles will become in the coming decades as they will be increasingly capable of making decisions.

Data: a disruptor in automotive industry
As a result, the explosion of in-car applications means more data is being generated and consumed by vehicles than ever before. As per Counterpoint study, it is estimated that by 2030, the storage capacities needed inside vehicles will range from a minimum of 2TB to as much as 11TB to support the needs of in-vehicle storage at different autonomy levels.

Most of this data is consumed and generated to help ensure safety. For example, artificial intelligence (AI) infused cameras are helping improve safety tremendously. Today there are cameras which are fitted in vehicles that can track a driver’s eye movement and detect if the driver is drowsy, distracted, or intoxicated, which could be dangerous for them as well as others on the road. It does not stop at that. These cameras can take necessary action, as required, and alert the driver, local authorities, or other parties. These AI-cameras can also detect objects on and around roads to further enhance safety measures.

Therefore, it is important to note that for AI cameras to work accurately, AI needs to be trained on thousands of hours of relevant videos and data. As a result, in addition to data being created by a vehicle, it needs data to train it to become safer and more accurate, which is also crucial.

Diverse storage requirements
To make real-time, split-second decisions, the ‘brain’ of an autonomous vehicle demands several types of storage to accommodate the data from multiple in-car sensors. Efficient and robust processing capability is key to ensuring the industry successfully reaches greater levels of autonomy.

Therefore, the data stored locally also needs to be extracted and processed quickly. Counterpoint Research expects that in-vehicle storage systems will move to UFS (Universal Flash Storage) embedded flash for Level-3 to Level-5 autonomous vehicles to enable the speed and performance required for data management.

Western Digital's automotive-grade iNAND-EM122-ZA-ATeMMC-64GB storage solution for vehicles.

Autonomous systems’ requirements for high-speed data transfer, retrieval, and processing will demand a hybrid of cloud and local or edge storage. For on-vehicle or edge storage, it is critical to opt for the right storage such as Western Digital's automotive SD Card, automotive-grade embedded flash drives (e.MMC), automotive-grade iNAND UFS, or Industrial NVMeTM SSD that deliver superior endurance, high-reliability, extended temperature range, and longevity for industrial applications across a wide range of automotive applications.

Moreover, with its iNAND AT EU552 UFS 3.1 embedded flash drives, Western Digital is one of the first data storage manufacturers to achieve ASPICE CL3 (level 3) for a data storage device. ASPICE CL3 moves beyond the “Managed” CL2 tier to “Established” at CL3, reflecting a level of maturity where processes are well-defined, standardised, and actively managed.

Data: The future vehicle fuel
The vehicles of the future can be hybrid and electric, and they certainly will be connected and intelligent. Another Counterpoint research estimates that the global connected car sales are set to exceed 500 million units between 2024-2030, while two out of every three cars sold already feature embedded connectivity, which is expected to reach 100% connectivity by end of the decade.

In other words, the vehicles of today and the future will use data to accomplish their driving tasks safely. The right data storage solutions will be critical enablers of this evolution. 
 

Disclaimer: Khalid Wani is the Senior Director - Sales, India, Western Digital. The views expressed in this article are purely those of the author.