Hyundai deploys HCloud in global Equinix centres for car services

Hyundai Motor Group is deploying its dedicated private cloud platform, HCloud, within Equinix data centres worldwide to enhance service quality and customer experience for over 10 million connected car service subscribers.

Hyundai's HCloud platform has been developed in response to the increasing demand for real-time data processing, seamless connectivity and scalable infrastructure, driven by advancements in connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.

The company is utilising Equinix International Business Exchange data centres throughout Asia, the United States and Europe, as well as Equinix Fabric, to interconnect HCloud with multiple public cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services (AWS). This hybrid multicloud architecture is being used to accelerate the global rollout of Hyundai's connected car services.

The hybrid approach is enabling Hyundai to maintain reliable connectivity, provide consistent service coverage and reduce latency for in-car infotainment and mobile applications. The deployment aims to meet expectations for app responsiveness and quality in remote vehicle services while supporting further growth in the connected car segment.

Hyundai Motor Group consists of the brands Hyundai Motor, Kia and Genesis. Its connected car services, launched in 2003, are accessed via wireless networks and had acquired over 10 million subscribers worldwide by 2023. The group aims to reach 20 million subscribers by 2026 and is investing significantly in expanding and improving HCloud to support this objective, including a focus on delivering personalised driving experiences.

Industry analysts expect that by 2030, 95% of new vehicles will be connected to data networks. In recognition of this trend, Hyundai identified the need for distributed data processing capacity and close integration with cloud ecosystem partners to optimise end-user experience, which informed the choice to deploy HCloud in Equinix data centres located in Seoul, Los Angeles and Frankfurt.

These locations were selected for their global connectivity, high concentration of carriers and service-level reliability. According to Hyundai, Equinix's proximity to major cloud and network providers supports both enhanced performance and improved scalability.

The collaboration between Hyundai and Equinix is expected to support Hyundai's transition to software-defined vehicles and underpin the development of advanced mobility solutions that are connected, safer and increasingly intelligent.

Youngjoo Han, Vice President and Head of IT Infra Center at Hyundai Motor Group, stated, "By leveraging Equinix's global data centers, we are providing high-quality connected car service and improving user experience through reduced latency, stable global connectivity and enhanced scalability of our HCloud platform. The partnership with Equinix is taking us a step closer to becoming the global leader in connected car services. We look forward to continuing this journey with Equinix to sustain the momentum of our growing connected car ecosystem worldwide."

Chris Jang, Managing Director for Equinix Korea, added, "The future of the automotive industry lies in connected cars. Through a hybrid multicloud infrastructure, auto manufacturers can take advantage of cloud services while maintaining the flexibility to choose between secure, dedicated colocation infrastructure and highly scalable cloud services for each workload they support. Equinix, with its global footprint, offers not only the necessary infrastructure but also an interconnected digital ecosystem and network-dense infrastructure. This can enable Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor, to accelerate their digital transformation and optimize the customer experience."

Hyundai's strategy is part of a broader industry movement to harness digital ecosystems and multicloud connectivity to drive the advancement of autonomous and connected vehicles. As the number of connected car service subscribers increases, automakers are relying more heavily on partnerships with data centre operators to provide robust digital infrastructure at a global scale.