NetApp Powers Porsche Motorsport to ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Wins with Data-driven Cloud Solutions

NetApp, a global cloud-led, data-centric software company, and TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, announced a multi-year partnership. NetApp will provide the sportscar maker with innovative hybrid cloud solutions that will help them continue to write car racing history.

“Digital data is collected by the cars’ many sensors as they dart along the track and is processed synchronously to predict outcomes to aid the trackside team. Data equals speed.”

Porsche AG, a global automotive brand owned by Volkswagen Group, has begun shifting production towards electric or e-fuel powered vehicles in 2015. By the year 2030, Porsche AG aims for 80% of all vehicles sold to be electric. Tapping into NetApp’s real-time data services, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team helps deliver on the vision of sustainable mobility while enabling the real-time adjustments that deliver superior race performance – and help drive the next generation of Porsche electric vehicles.

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Real-time data collaboration service for the racetrack

NetApp‘s hybrid cloud solutions enable TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team to access their data trackside to support driver and team performance. This helps them make data-driven decisions in real-time, for example when to use the Formula E Attack Mode, which unlocks an additional 30 kilowatts of engine power. The rules about engaging Attack Mode are set by FIA shortly before every ePrix, hence it has a great impact on race strategy.

With data at the core of racing, business, and engineering decisions, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team requires cutting-edge data management technology:

Data and systems need to be available at the racetrack and fulfill demanding performance requirements.
Digital data collected during the ePrix must be uploaded to the cloud for analysis while the race is still running.
Cloud data needs to be processed by the team at Porsche Motorsport headquarters in Weissach, Germany for R&D.
After the race, data must be transferred to the cloud so it can be utilized in the future, and to support crucial data services such as backup and archiving.