Ford Motor Co. plans to use Google’s Android operating system to power its vehicle display screens starting in 2023, the latest auto maker to tap Silicon Valley amid the accelerating digitization of the car business.
The Dearborn, Mich.-based car company said Monday it has entered into a six-year agreement with the tech giant to embed Google’s suite of apps, including voice commands and navigation, in multimedia displays on all Ford models outside of China.
Ford also plans to involve Alphabet Inc.’s Google for cloud services to help the auto maker develop in-car features and manage the reams of data streaming from its vehicles. The computing service will also be used to organize production.
Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.
Silicon Valley firms are pushing further into the auto business, eager to capitalize on the growth prospects of the car’s evolution as a rolling personal device. Tech companies now provide core operating systems to run in-vehicle multimedia systems, while also providing cloud-based service to store and manage the proliferation of data produced by cars, many of which now are sold with broadband connections.
