Volkswagen's Skoda DigiLab Collaborates with Microsoft for Blockchain-Based Business Solutions

Skoda DigiLab, an innovation hub under the Skoda Auto Volkswagen group, has partnered with Microsoft and Lumos Labs to create innovative blockchain-based business solutions.

Tackling business challenges with blockchain

Through the strategic partnership, Skoda Auto DigiLab India will be the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the Microsoft Century Program, an enterprise blockchain startup platform to unearth, curate, and evangelize 100 best enterprise-ready blockchain solutions for industry-specific use cases.

As per the announcement:

“The program intends to identify and solve real-time business challenges and blockchain use cases faced across seven industry verticals - media and entertainment, oil and natural gas, trade finance, healthcare, public sector, discrete manufacturing, and telecom sector, using blockchain technologies.”

The DigiLab intends to utilize its development and digitization expertise to help startups develop blockchain-enabled solutions like tamper-proof storage.

Automotive industry’s appetite for blockchain

Pranav Kulkarni, CIO, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, noted:

“As the automotive industry continues to evolve, the onset of blockchain technology will be a defining transformation in the development and manufacturing of the next generation of cars. Through the Century Program, the DigiLab will foster this ecosystem of innovation among startups and identify implementable solutions in the space of digital tools and mobility platforms.”

Different automotive players are continuously adopting blockchain-enabled solutions to streamline their activities. This cutting-edge technology is also viewed as a game-changer in the development of future cars. For instance, Groupe Renault, a leading French multinational automobile manufacturer, recently established the XCEED (eXtended Compliance End-to-End Distributed) blockchain system to certify the compliance of all car parts from design to production.

The blockchain-based tool was touted to boost Renault’s efficiency and responsiveness in meeting regulatory stringency in the automotive industry.

Moreover, in July, Volvo Cars invested in Circulor, a London-based blockchain company majoring in industrial supply chains. The objective was to use Circulor’s blockchain technology to track and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) footprints. 

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