Shenyang. The BMW Group has expanded its production footprint in China with the opening of Plant Lydia in Shenyang, China. This major expansion of the BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) production base is a latest example of the BMW iFACTORY strategy, and sets new standards in future oriented vehicle manufacturing in the era of intelligent and electric auto industry. In particular, Plant Lydia breaks new ground with its pioneering digitalization applications, reaffirming the BMW Group’s leadership in the global automotive manufacturing.

“The BMW iFACTORY makes us a role model for the automotive industry. Plant Lydia is born digitally and geared towards e-mobility”, said BMW AG Board Member for Production Milan Nedeljković. He emphasised: “Responding to our customer’s demands, the flexibility of our production sets the benchmark in competition. Plant Lydia is a great example of this. It is fully capable of producing up to 100% electric vehicles. Together with its neighboring plants in Tiexi and Dadong, Lydia will play an important role in accelerating production of BMW electrified vehicles in China.”

With an overall investment of RMB 15 billion, Plant Lydia is the biggest single investment project in the history of the BMW Group in China. Located in the Tiexi District of Shenyang, the plant has all the four major production processes (press and body shop, paint shop, and assembly) and increases annual production capacity at the Shenyang production base to 830,000 units. In order to meet the growing customer demand for e-mobility, Plant Lydia is fully flexible to produce up to 100% electric vehicles. The production of the all new BMW i3 – BMW’s first all-electric mid-size sports sedan for the Chinese market – started at Plant Lydia in May.

Jochen Goller, President & CEO of the BMW Group Region China said: “The expansion of our production footprint in China shows we are preparing for further growth in the world’s largest electric car market and are confident in China’s long-term perspectives. We are stepping up our e-mobility efforts, aiming for more than a quarter of our sales in China to be all electric by 2025. With BMW’s expanded and upgraded production base in Shenyang, we are now fully prepared to serve the growing market demand for e-mobility in China.”

“Today is a proud day for BMW Brilliance and the BMW Group. It marks an important milestone in our successful development in the city of Shenyang over the past nearly 20 years”, said Franz Decker, President & CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive. “Despite many challenges over the last three years, our new Plant Lydia was completed on schedule. It is a testament to our strong team in China and an excellent global collaboration. Plant Lydia sets the standard for production that is LEAN. GREEN. and DIGITAL.”

Bringing the “Industrial Metaverse” to life

While Plant Lydia follows the BMW iFACTORY strategy of LEAN. GREEN. and DIGITAL, it is in the area of digital that the new plant is truly pioneering. With the powerful Epic Games Unreal Engine 3D creation platform as the backbone, Plant Lydia was the first BMW Group plant fully planned and simulated in a virtual environment from the start, with every detail of the entire production process designed virtually. In this way, it can be considered a Metaverse plant. The integration of the virtual world with the real world shortened the planning time, enabled cross-regional and cross-timezone collaboration, and effectively overcame the adverse effects of epidemics, which alone shortened the construction time of the plant by six months.

Plant Lydia is “data-driven”: cloud-based digital platforms and the Industrial Internet of Things connect every product, process and person through transparent, always-available and integrated data. This extensive use of data science enhances quality control, boosts efficiency and enables predictive maintenance. The widespread use of artificial intelligence, data analytics and algorithms has shifted decision-making from “experience-driven” to “data-driven”. Around 100 artificial intelligence applications are currently used at the BMW Shenyang production base.

A powerful network environment and data processing capabilities are essential to “data-driven”. For example, the 1,600 multi-functional cameras used in the area of quality assurance generate more than 10 petabytes of data every year. The entire plant is covered with a gigabit 5G network to meet the bandwidth requirements for technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and real-time video transmission. To cope with the huge amount of data, BMW Brilliance also built a new Data Center for Plant Lydia that contains more than 1,200 servers.

Producing cars in the most sustainable way

The BMW Group has set a goal of reducing carbon emissions through the entire lifecycle per vehicle by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 2019, which includes an 80 percent carbon reduction at the production level. Therefore, the concept of sustainability is also reflected in Plant Lydia.

The new production site uses first-class building materials, including advanced insulation, to keep the rooms warm in winter and cool in summer while reducing energy consumption. The plant’s workshops are equipped with state-of-the-art production equipment, such as electric-powered welding guns and ovens in the Body Shop that utilize renewable electricity supply to reduce emissions. Plant Lydia also has a dedicated Intelligent Operation Center with an intelligent energy management system that monitors energy and resource consumption in real time, and uses artificial intelligence to deeply analyze how to optimize energy use.

Currently, the entire BMW Shenyang production base uses 100% renewable electricity. It has 290,000 square meters of solar panels, ranking first in Liaoning Province. These solar panels can generate 44,000 MWh of electricity per year – enough to power 9,000 houses for an entire year. The solar panel expansion will continue in the coming years, with an area of 120,000sqm under construction at Plant Lydia.

The new vehicle plant in Shenyang also places emphasis on biodiversity. Its green areas consist of gardens, artificial lakes, a variety of plants and 11,000 trees, a sustainable landscaping and a sponge city system collects rainwater to nourish plants and replenish underground water. 

High flexibility geared towards e-mobility

Flexibility is one of the BMW Group’s greatest strengths in manufacturing, especially the ability to deploy resources and adapt production to demand at short notice. Plant Lydia is geared towards e-mobility production, but it can also produce other models flexibly and efficiently.

By the end of 2025, the BMW Group expects to have delivered more than two million pure electric vehicles worldwide, with one in every four new vehicles sold in China being a pure electric model. By that time, BMW’s “Neue Klasse” models, which represent the next technological leap forward in car development, will also be brought to market. The new plant Lydia and its neighboring plants in Tiexi and Dadong will play an important role in accelerating production of BMW electrified vehicles in China.

Dynamic, powerful and with pure aerodynamics: with today’s world premiere of the ID. AERO concept car in China, Volkswagen is providing a foretaste of the brand’s first global fully-electric sedan. The future model will be positioned in the premium mid-size sedan segment. Its progressive, stylish and aerodynamic design allows the vehicle to impress with generous space in the interior. The production version for China is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2023. Volkswagen is also planning to start production of a European series version in Emden in 2023.

“With the ID. AERO show car, we are revealing a preview of the next member of the ID. family. A car with an emotional and at the same time extremely aerodynamic design, a range of over 600 kilometres, an extraordinary amount of space and a premium interior,” says Ralf Brandstätter, Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Passenger Cars. “With our ACCELERATE strategy, we are intensively driving forward the electrification of our model range. Following the ID.4, this model will be our next global car for Europe, China and the US. ”

The concept vehicle is almost five metres long and was designed based on aerodynamic principles. The roof slopes elegantly to the rear in coupé style and contributes to achieving an excellent drag coefficient of 0.23. Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) additionally permits short overhangs, a long wheelbase and an exceptionally spacious vehicle interior. The ID. AERO is equipped with a powerful lithium-ion battery with a net energy content of 77 kWh. Thanks to the interaction of the efficient drive system and the excellent aerodynamic properties, the ID. AERO achieves ranges of up to 620 kilometres (WLTP)⁰⁵, making it suitable for long distances.

Electric offensive in China: With the close-to-production ID. AERO concept car, Volkswagen is stepping up its electric offensive in China as part of its ACCELERATE strategy. Following the ID.3⁰³, ID.4⁰³ and ID.6⁰³, the production version of the ID. AERO will already be the fourth fully-electric model series in China, with expected availability in the second half of 2023. Two versions are planned there – one for each Volkswagen joint venture. Based on its regional strategy, Volkswagen is aiming to become the leading supplier of sustainable vehicles in China. As early as 2030, it is planned that at least every second vehicle sold in China will be an electric vehicle.

Volkswagen is driving forward its electric offensive worldwide on the Way to ZERO. As the new flagship model of the ID. family, the ID. AERO will therefore be offered globally in future – also in Europe and North America in addition to China.

Elegant design characterised by aerodynamics, wrap-around light strip and metallic paintwork. Stylistically, the ID. AERO transfers the design of the ID. family to a sedan in the premium mid-size segment for the first time. The aerodynamically designed front end and roof ensure that air flows optimally over the vehicle. The air flow is calmed by the slightly drawn-in rear end with an separation edge. The sporty 22-inch two-tone wheels are designed in the style of a turbine and are integrated flush into the wheel housings. Classic door handles are replaced by illuminated touch surfaces, which reduce the drag even further. At the top of the silhouette, the bold tornado line and downward sloping roof line shape the design. The powerful shoulder section of the ID. AERO is located above the tornado line. The contour lines make the electric sedan appear flatter and give it a dynamic look.

The ID. AERO concept vehicle has a Polar Light Blue Metallic paintwork – a light metallic colour shade whose colour pigments create a golden shimmer effect in appropriate light conditions. The roof is painted in a high-gloss black to contrast with the vehicle body.

The front end is characterised by the ID. honeycombs typical for the ID. family. The front is horizontally split into two in the bumper and is a defining style element for the ID. AERO design. As another distinctive feature that makes the ID. AERO stand out in the crowd, a narrow light strip extends horizontally across the front out to the left and right of the illuminated Volkswagen badge and above the innovative IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights, wrapping into the wings and side panels. This light strip is continued visually to the rear end with a few interruptions. The dominant rear end features a striking dark light strip and LED tail light clusters with honeycomb structure that create an exclusive look.

The ID. AERO shows the versatility of the MEB. The ID. AERO demonstrates the flexibility of Volkswagen’s purely electric MEB architecture, which can be adapted for vehicles of different shapes and sizes. The MEB can be used across segments – from compact crossover or SUV and minibus through to spacious sedan. With the ID. AERO, the MEB therefore allows the ID. family to enter the mid-size sedan segment. The MEB also fully exploits the possibilities of electric mobility, allowing long ranges, a maximum of digital connectivity and over-the-air update capability.

Production of the European version in Emden. It is expected that the production version of the ID. AERO for Europe will roll off the assembly line in the Emden plant in 2023. With volume production of electric vehicles, Emden will be one of the first Volkswagen plants of this kind in Lower Saxony and will make a decisive contribution to electrifying the model range and reducing the CO₂ emissions of the overall new vehicle fleet.

UCL, in collaboration with Intel, Microsoft and IBM, develops UCL MotionInput V3, a software for touchless computing.

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Paris Baker, a 31-year-old mother of two, was an elite acrobatic gymnast who represented Great Britain and won silver at the European and World championships. At 26, Paris received a diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND), which causes muscle weakness that gradually worsens over time and leads to disability. Of the many things that changed in her life, an essential element was losing the ability to play video games with her children.

That was, until she discovered MotionInput.

Developed by academics and students at University College London’s (UCL) Computer Science department, in collaboration with Intel, Microsoft and IBM, UCL MotionInput V3 enables truly touchless computing. With MotionInput and a common webcam, a user can control a PC by gesturing with their hands, head, face and full body or by using speech. The software analyzes these interactions and converts them into mouse, keyboard and joystick signals making full use of existing software.

See how technology is made more accessible with UCL MotionInput and touchless computing

Intel has a long-standing relationship with UCL for mentoring computer science projects, says Phillippa Chick, global account director, Health and Life Sciences, Intel UK. “We work with Professor Dean Mohamedally, Professor Graham Roberts, and Mrs. Sheena Visram on mentoring projects as well as support structure for the students. This idea was first proposed by the UCL team in the summer of 2020 as a series of UCL Computer Science IXN [Industry Exchange Network] student projects and stemmed from the need to help healthcare workers during COVID-19 when it was necessary to keep shared computers clean and germ-free.” The team brought onboard Dr. Atia Rafiq, an NHS GP doctor, to improve upon the clinical requirements needed by frontline healthcare workers.

A University College London student’s eye movement being tracked by UCL MotionInput V3 in the UK on Monday, 03 28, 2022. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

University College London students in a mentorship session using Intel-powered laptops in the UK on Monday, 03 28, 2022. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Paris Baker, a former gymnast, using UCL MotionInput V3 in the UK on Wednesday, 04 24, 2022. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

A University College London student’s eye movement being tracked by UCL MotionInput V3 in the UK on Monday, 03 28, 2022. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

University College London students in a mentorship session using Intel-powered laptops in the UK on Monday, 03 28, 2022. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Paris Baker, a former gymnast, using UCL MotionInput V3 in the UK on Wednesday, 04 24, 2022. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

A University College London student’s eye movement being tracked by UCL MotionInput V3 in the UK on Monday, 03 28, 2022. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

MotionInput can open up a world of use cases by using hands or eyes simultaneously with speech. Every game can now be accessible, progress of patient movements can be recorded in physical therapy, and, in a hospital setting, surgeons can take notes through hand gestures and speech without having to touch a computer. The solution does not require connectivity or a cloud service, making it that much easier to deploy.  

“It has great opportunity to positively impact the lives of people with chronic conditions that affect movement,” Phillippa says.

Intel provides UCL students with mentoring and technology, including hardware and software capabilities like Intel’s OpenVINO™ toolkit. The toolkit eases the development of AI-based applications and helps boost their performance. 

The pre-trained models provided by OpenVINO™ enabled faster development of the various components and features of MotionInput, allowing students to move forward without training their own models — typically a lengthy, computing-intensive process. 

Costas Stylianou, technical specialist for Health and Life Sciences at Intel UK, explains that the optimization means MotionInput V3 “has several orders of magnitude improvements in efficiency and an architecture for supporting the growth of touchless computing apps as an ecosystem.” The software engineering development and architecture for V3 was led by UCL students, Sinead V. Tattan and Carmen Meinson. Together they led over 50 UCL students on various courses at UCL computer science to build upon the work. The team also worked with mentors from Microsoft and IBM, notably Prof. Lee Stott and Prof. John McNamara. 

The solution employs a mix of machine learning and computer vision models to allow for responsive interaction. It’s customizable by allowing the user to choose from a variety of modules, such as: 
 

• Facial navigation: The user can use their nose or eyes and a set of facial expressions to trigger actions like mouse button clicks, or with speech by saying “click.”  
• Hand gestures: A selection of hand gestures can be recognized and mapped to specific keyboard commands and shortcuts, mouse movements, native multitouch sensing, and digital pens with depth in the air. 
• Eye-gaze with grid and magnet modes: To align the cursor in accessibility scenarios, an auto-calibration method is implemented for eye-tracking that obtains the gaze estimation, including both a grid mode and magnetic mode.  
• Full body tracking: Users can set physical exercises and tag regions in their surrounding space to play existing computer games.  
• Speech hotkeys and live captions: Ask-KITA (Know-It-All) allows users to interact with the computer from a set of voice commands, live captioning and overriding keyboard shortcuts. 
• In-air joypad: Users can play games with the usual ABXY joypad buttons in the air with analog trigger controls.  

“What makes this software so special is that it is fully accessible,” says Phillippa. “The code does not require expensive equipment to run. It works with any standard webcam, including the one in your laptop. It’s just a case of downloading and you are ready to go.”

Because MotionInput enables facial navigation using the nose, eyes and mouth, adds Costas, “it’s ideal for people that suffer from MND.”  

What’s next for MotionInput? 

“The project will continue and is looking to collaborate with industry sectors. The academics and mentors are looking into what can be done to expand use cases and continuously improve the user experience,” says Phillippa. “We love working with the students and teaching staff at UCL, as it’s inspiring to see what they can do with technology.”  

Or as Paris says, while playing a video game with her children, “The potential for UCL MotionInput to change lives is limitless.” 

More Context: Download MotionInput Version 3 (June 2022) software and instructions | See demonstrations of MotionInput Version 3 | Touchless Computing: UCL MotionInput 3 (UCL computer science news article) | More on Linkedin

Intel Partner Stories: Intel Customer Spotlight on Intel.com | Partner Stories on Intel Newsroom

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New Technologies, Partner Stories

By Stephane Kasriel, Head of Commerce and FinTech

Takeaways

• We’re renaming Facebook Pay to Meta Pay.
• Meta Pay will be the same as Facebook Pay. If you have previously set up Facebook Pay, then there’s no action required to start using Meta Pay.

Our company rebrand last year reinforced our commitment and vision to help build the next evolution of social connection — the metaverse. As Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday, we’re changing Facebook Pay to Meta Pay to bring our payments offering closer to our rebrand. 

Meta Pay will be the same easy, secure way for you to shop, send money and donate to causes you care about across our technologies, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, as well as anywhere you previously would’ve seen the Facebook Pay button while shopping online. Meta Pay’s features and overall user experience people know from Facebook Pay will remain the same. This change is first rolling out in the US and will roll out globally over time.

Just like with Facebook Pay, with Meta Pay people will be able to:

• Add their preferred payment method once, then use Meta Pay where available to make payments and purchases across our technologies and while shopping elsewhere online.
• View payment history, manage payment methods and update their settings in one place. 
• Get 24/7 customer care via email or chat where available.

Security and Protection for Payments

We’ve offered trusted payment services since 2009. Today, we enable people and businesses in over 160 countries to make payments in 55 currencies.

We continue to invest in security. Just as with Facebook Pay, Meta Pay encrypts and securely stores your payment card numbers, performs anti-fraud monitoring on our systems to detect unauthorized activity and notifies you if that occurs. You can also create a Meta Pay PIN or use your device’s face or fingerprint recognition to secure every payment. 

How to Set up Meta Pay

If you have previously set up Facebook Pay, then there’s no action required to start using Meta Pay. All of your existing Facebook Pay information will remain the same in Meta Pay, including account details, your payment method and settings. If you’re new to Meta Pay, it’s easy to set up:

1. Go to Payments settings. 
2. Enter your payment method and account information. Meta Pay supports most major credit and debit cards, as well as PayPal and Shop Pay.
3. Use Meta Pay the next time you make a purchase, donate, or send money across our technologies or anywhere you see the Meta Pay button when shopping online. (Please note that availability, use cases and set up may vary.)

What’s Next

Innovative products can help give people, businesses and creators more control over their finances. We see an incredible opportunity to develop financial products that connect people to the digital economy. 

Meta Pay plays an instrumental role in connecting people and businesses now and in the future. These connections will help drive growth across the metaverse ecosystem. It’s important to us that we’re making sending and receiving money as simple, fast and cheap as sending a message to anyone, anywhere. And that we’re offering trusted, convenient ways to pay for goods and services anywhere in the world. 

Learn more about Meta Pay.

• Story Highlights
  •  Record first quarter revenue of $26.1 billion, up 16%, with growth across ISG and CSG
  • Record first quarter operating income of $1.6 billion, up 57%, and record first quarter non-GAAP operating income of $2.1 billion, up 21%
  • Record first quarter diluted earnings per share of $1.37, up 63%, and record non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $1.84, up 36%

Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) announces financial results for its fiscal 2023 first quarter. Revenue was a first quarter record of $26.1 billion, up 16%, with growth across Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) and Client Solutions Group (CSG). The company generated record first quarter operating income of $1.6 billion, a 57% increase, and record non-GAAP operating income of $2.1 billion, up 21%. Net income from continuing operations was $1.1 billion, up 62%, and non-GAAP net income was $1.4 billion, up 36%, both driven by growth in operating income and lower interest expense due to reduced debt balances. Diluted earnings per share was $1.37, up 63%, and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $1.84, up 36%.

Dell Technologies ended the quarter with remaining performance obligations of $42 billion, up 14% year-over-year, deferred revenue of $27.4 billion, and cash and investments of $8.5 billion. Recurring revenue for the first quarter was approximately $5.3 billion, up 15%.

First Quarter Fiscal 2023 Financial Results

Information about Dell Technologies’ use of non-GAAP financial information is provided under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.  All comparisons in this press release are year-over-year unless otherwise noted.

Operating segments summary

Infrastructure Solutions Group delivered record first quarter revenue of $9.3 billion, up 16%. Storage revenue was $4.2 billion, up 9%, with demand across the company’s broad storage portfolio. Servers and networking revenue was $5 billion, up 22% year-over-year. Operating income was $1.1 billion or approximately 11.7% of Infrastructure Solutions Group revenue.

Key areas of innovation:

• More than 500 storage software advancements across Dell PowerStore, PowerMax and PowerFlex to help customers deliver faster insights, achieve better multi-cloud data control and increase cyber resiliency.
•  APEX Cyber Recovery Services, the first in a series of APEX full stack solutions, offering customers a cloud experience and simplifying recovery from cyberattacks.
•  A collaboration with Snowflake will connect on-premises data from Dell’s industry-leading enterprise storage portfolio with the Snowflake Data Cloud.
•  Dell Telecom Multi-Cloud Foundation helps communications service providers (CSPs) build and deploy open, cloud-native networks faster with lower cost and complexity.
• Dell Validated Design for Retail Edge helps retailers simplify edge infrastructure and launch new applications for better customer experiences.

Client Solutions Group delivered record first quarter revenue of $15.6 billion, up 17% year-over-year. Performance was driven by continued strength in commercial PCs, with commercial PC revenue of $12 billion, a 22% increase year-over-year. Consumer revenue was $3.6 billion, a 3% increase year-over-year. Operating income was $1.1 billion, or approximately 7.2% of Client Solutions Group revenue. 

Key areas of innovation:

• Dell Optimizer software, which is built into commercial PCs, integrates AI for increased privacy, connectivity and collaboration to provide greater intelligence for hybrid work styles.
• Latitude 9330, the world’s first laptop with a collaboration touchpad that lets users mute, turn video on/off, screen share and chat. Also announced the Latitude 5000 series, Dell’s most sustainable laptops yet, featuring the world’s most innovative use of sustainable materials. 
• New Precision mobile workstations for creators, engineers and architects – including the Precision 5470, the world’s smallest, thinnest and most powerful 14” mobile workstation. New 16- and 17-inch workstations offer a new form factor for DDR5 memory that enables a thinner chassis design and makes systems more accessible for repairs.
• Asset Recovery Services expansion into 35 new countries across EMEA and APJ, includes new data sanitization offers and simplifies the asset disposal process of PCs, servers, peripherals and accessories.
• New Latitude, Precision and XPS devices now ship with 100% recyclable packaging that is also made from 100% recycled or renewable materials.

Executive Quotes:

•  “We followed a record FY22 with a record first quarter FY23. Revenue was $26.1 billion, up 16%, with growth across our business units,” said Jeff Clarke, vice chairman and co-chief operating officer, Dell Technologies. “We are built to outperform, in a balanced and consistent way across the company, as our customers invest in their digital futures and choose Dell as their trusted partner.”
• “Our first quarter – with record Q1 revenue, operating income and diluted EPS – demonstrates the benefits of having a strong, geographically and sector-diverse business covering the edge to the core data center to the cloud,” said Chuck Whitten, co-chief operating officer. “Plus we are positioned to pursue growth wherever it materializes in the IT market, given the predictability, durability and flexibility in our business.”
• “In our first quarter, we returned $1.75 billion to our shareholders through a combination of share repurchases and dividends,” said Tom Sweet, chief financial officer, Dell Technologies. “We are delivering long-term value by executing our strategy for growth, taking share, generating strong cash flow from operations and executing our capital allocation framework.”

Conference call information

As previously announced, the Company will hold a conference call to discuss its performance and financial guidance on May 26, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. CDT. The conference call will be broadcast live over the internet and can be accessed at

For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, an archived version will be available at the same location for one year.

Additional financial and operating information may be downloaded from

Customer Highlights Blog

Read our quarterly blog from Bill Scannell, Dell Technologies president of Global Sales & Customer Operations, to learn more about how we are helping customers with their digital transformations:

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

Our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts focus on driving positive impact for people and our planet while delivering long-term value for our stakeholders. The FY22 ESG report will publish June 30, 2022, and the Company will hold a conference call to discuss the report in July. ESG resources can be accessed at

Richard Zech has always been passionate about building and creating things from scratch. Zech was in the fashion and footwear industry for 20 years before starting his own logistics company, Avanator LLC, and becoming an Amazon Delivery Service Partner (DSP). He takes pride in his company’s core values: putting family and people first, giving back to the community, being humble, and having fun.

“It has always been important to me to drive meaningful change,” said Zech. “As a DSP, every day is new, different, and exciting. I love customer service, leading teams, and building projects from the ground up. Working with such talented individuals is a pleasure. I am committed to ensuring that these drivers receive the support they need daily and that their routes are safe.”

We agree. Safety is integral to everything we do—every day, in every country, and in every operation. We saw an opportunity through our ongoing dialogues with DSPs to develop a new mapping and routing technology that would have a direct impact on safety, including a faster way to update routes to detour around construction and add new roadway signage to better guide drivers. Over the past two years, we’ve developed and piloted this new technology, called Fleet Edge, to automatically detect changes in roads, traffic signs, and highways. Fleet Edge continuously refreshes on-road information into our mapping software, providing the most up-to-date routing data for drivers delivering packages.

“This has been a game-changer for our drivers. They’ve told me directly that the system saves them time by making navigation safer and easier.”

Richard Zech

Founder of Avanator LLC

Previously, a driver might have faced a challenge like a recent road closure due to construction. It might have taken several weeks for that update to make it into our routing software, adding more time required on behalf of for the driver to navigate around the closure. With Fleet Edge, an in-vehicle computer, street-view camera, and GPS receiver keep up with the rapidly changing road environment and capture changes that day, so drivers have fewer disruptions during their delivery experience.

“With the help of drivers and DSPs, we identified the need to improve safety and provide more precise and accurate routes that better reflect the constantly changing on-road environment,” said Beryl Tomay, vice president of Amazon Last Mile Delivery technology. “By investing in Fleet Edge, we’re creating a more safe and seamless experience for drivers’ and eliminating on-road navigation challenges that add time to routes.”

Here’s how it works: when the driver is en route, the Fleet Edge system detects newly constructed roads, traffic signs, closures, and buildings, automatically and continuously updating the navigation for future routes with a more comprehensive and current map of the area. Over the past few months, more than 33,000 new signs have been added to Amazon’s mapping system. By providing the most up-to-date information on road conditions, drivers can avoid challenging driving maneuvers, reduce the need for U-turns, and bypass road hazards. Additionally, the accuracy of GPS location has increased by 260% in the test areas, improving navigation safety by announcing upcoming turns sooner.

“This has been a game-changer for our drivers,” said Zech. “They’ve told me directly that the system saves them time by making navigation safer and easier.”

We understand the importance of protecting the privacy of customers and drivers. All personally identifiable information is automatically removed or blurred, including any individuals who walk in front of the vehicles. The system works with artificial intelligence and machine learning to scan the road for changes before adding, and the data collected is always encrypted.