South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai has opened a data center in Guian, Guizhou Province, China, dedicated to analytics and R&D.

The 1,200 square meter facility will serve as the foundation for the company’s Car Cloud, focused on the Chinese market – the largest automotive market in the world.

The data center is located in a building that already hosts China’s largest ISP, Baidou – responsible for developing navigation app MapAuto and Duer OS Auto voice recognition.

In the future, Hyundai plans to run a global network of big data hubs that it hopes will transform cars into ‘high-performing computers on wheels.’

First of many

Hyundai was among the first companies to recognize the potential of network connectivity for automotive design, having operated a Car Cloud in Korea since 2013.

The company has developed its own Connected Car Operating System (ccOS) and Connected Car Service Platform (ccSP) and since 2016, it has been collaborating with Cisco on a hardware platform for secure smart vehicle solutions.

The new data center in Guian will be used to process massive volumes of data collected from the company’s fleet of connected cars. It will be able to monitor customer driving patterns, diagnose potential problems, and offer vehicle software updates.

Hyundai has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China Unicom, China’s second-largest telecommunications provider, to co-develop a predictive analytics platform.

“Hyundai Motor’s know-how in big data analysis coupled with Guizhou Province’s strong push into big data will surely accelerate development in connected car technologies as well as better enable us to cater to our customer’s needs,” said Seung-Ho Hwang, executive vice president and head of Auto Intelligence Division at Hyundai.

“By successfully operating our newest facility in China, we will set new standards in the big data industry and advance Hyundai Motor’s IT leadership among automotive manufacturers.”