Continental and Hewlett Packard Enterprise launch Blockchain based data monetisation platform

Continental and Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced a new platform, expected to be available in 2019, for sharing vehicle data to enable new digital services that improve driver safety and convenience. At the same time the platform will help car manufacturers monetise their data and differentiate their brands.

Based on blockchain technology, the platform provides data sovereignty, security, transparency, and efficiency to overcome the barriers of sharing vehicle data.

Enterprises across different industries have understood that they need to find ways to break down data silos and enable multiple parties to work together to extract the full value from their data. In the case of connected and autonomous vehicles, data sharing across automotive brands is key to providing driver-assistance services that help drivers avoid traffic hazards and find the most convenient, practical and efficient travel routes - for example real-time traffic warnings and locating available parking.

Several existing digital ecosystems enable data sharing based on a middleman model, where platform owners centrally coordinate the data flows and monetisation. Applying a complimentary approach, HPE and Continental's platform leverages a decentralised architecture based on blockchain technologies.

Participants, such as car manufacturers, continue storing the data in their own data centres and only share specific data sets upon purchase directly with the buyer. This approach gives data sovereignty to all participants in the ecosystem, while at the same time providing a highly efficient and secure procedure for monetising vehicle data.

“Sharing vehicle data across vendors can solve some of the toughest traffic problems and improve driver experience by leveraging the power of swarm intelligence,” said Phil Davis, President Hybrid IT, Chief Sales Officer, HPE. “Together with Continental, we provide the key to unlock the value of this data treasure, not by taking control of the data ourselves, but by giving control to the drivers and car manufacturers.”

The data-monetisation platform will enable car manufacturers and other partners to trade data with each other - either to improve digital services for their customers or to monetise vehicle data. However, trading is only feasible upon a driver's consent. Therefore, the platform will integrate a consent management system and provide an easy to use opt-in and opt-out system for drivers. HPE and Continental take data privacy seriously to be compliant with GDPR and data protection regulations in other countries.

HPE and Continental have already received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the new platform from car manufacturers. “We are sure that our platform cuts the Gordian knot of data sharing and data privacy,” said Helmut Matschi, Member of the Executive Board, Interior Division, Continental AG. “We invite car manufacturers globally to join our platform and collaboratively shape this quickly growing ecosystem.”

As part of a strategic partnership between HPE and Continental, the new platform was jointly designed by HPE Pointnext and Continental's Interior division and is expected to be available in 2019. HPE and Continental will provide additional services to facilitate data trading and the integration of vehicle data into car manufacturers' backend systems and services.

The platform's interface capability will enable multiple ecosystems - both centralised or decentralised - to interconnect and leverage new ways of data monetisation. Furthermore, the platform is compliant with the VDA NEVADA Share & Secure concept which was developed by the German automotive industry to govern the secure transmission and transfer of vehicle generated data to third parties.