TCS: A Double Victory with Cloud Computing

Data is everything, Kay Müller-Jones, Head of Consulting and Services Integration at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), tells us. They developed a new Cloud-based platform for data analysis and software for the electric racing car Jaguar I-TYPE 6. Background: The use of Cloud and Digital Twin for performance on the racetrack is expected to provide important insights for product development.

According to Müller-Jones, success at Formula E races largely depends on time-critical data analysis, because: Part of the team works during the race in the UK and analyzes the vehicle data. To expedite the data flow from the racetrack to the factory and vice versa, title sponsor Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the world's second-largest IT and technology consulting company, and Jaguar TCS Racing rely on Cloud computing and Digital Twin technology. The new Cloud platform provides Jaguar TCS Racing with timely access to data that is crucial for racetrack performance. This time it worked: The big cats secured a double victory – albeit at the very end – in the first race in Berlin on April 22, 2023. In the end, it was about how to best use the very last percentage of energy to stay ahead or jump from third to second place.

Cloud Computing also helps electromobility

Moreover, it helps unlock the potential of Digital Twin technology and shows how Cloud computing can improve the performance and connectivity of electric vehicles. Formula E is thus an ideal testing environment for TCS's digital technologies in the real world. TCS has been supporting Jaguar Land Rover with digital technology for more than ten years to also advance the development of electric vehicles. This partnership was expanded in the past season when TCS became the official technology and title partner of the Jaguar Formula E racing team, Jaguar TCS Racing. The use of TCS technologies not only enables the team to win races but is also intended to provide valuable insights from the racetrack to the road.

Three terabytes of data per race weekend

The Cloud can bring clear competitive advantages here. During a race weekend, the Jaguar TCS Racing Team collects about three terabytes of data. These are analyzed and feed into vehicle tuning. Hosting the data in the new Cloud environment based on Amazon Web Service (AWS) provides the engineers and strategists of the team at racetracks worldwide and at the Jaguar factory in the UK valuable time to test and optimize various setups for the E-racing car using Digital Twin technology.

“More and more companies are investing in a long-term Cloud strategy to gain a competitive advantage, and Jaguar TCS Racing is no exception,” said Varun Kapur, Vice President and Senior Managing Partner for Sustainable Manufacturing at TCS. He adds:

“Formula E races are often won or lost by fractions of a second. Our Cloud technology enables Jaguar TCS Racing to make time-critical, data-driven decisions that optimize the performance of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6.”

Virtual simulations also improve performance in the real world

Additionally, the Jaguar TCS Racing Team relies on digital twins of the racing cars, which are only made possible through the use of Cloud technology. Digital twins – digital counterparts to physical products – are fundamental to the race preparation and strategy of the Jaguar TCS Racing Team. Because digital twin simulations enable reliable tests, analyses, and validations that are transferred from the virtual world to the real one. Designs or processes can be easily integrated, sometimes even running in parallel, thus saving the costs of often more expensive and time-consuming physical development.

45 minutes to check the set-up and change it if necessary

“In Formula E, accessing data is particularly time-critical,” explains James Barclay, Team Principal of Jaguar TCS Racing, and provides concrete figures:

“Due to the compressed format over a weekend in Formula E, we often only have 45 minutes to gain insights into performance between sessions and adjust the race strategy.”

The importance of digital twins is increasing, especially as digital technology and regulations continue to evolve in the new Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and technical challenges become more complex.

Benefits for fleet managers as well

However, cloud computing can naturally enhance the rapidly growing number of connected, autonomous, shared, and electrified vehicles beyond the racetrack, a number that is expected to increase dramatically – and with the vehicles, the amount of data also grows. Specific examples that are particularly interesting for fleets: Cloud computing allows for faster provision of real-time vehicle feedback, diagnostics, and performance improvements across the vehicle ecosystem. This enables, for instance, instantaneous communication to other vehicles about what’s around the next corner, or a software with dynamic route planning that reacts in real-time to changes, thus improving the experience and safety of drivers and pedestrians, as well as vehicle performance. Thanks to TCS software, Jaguar Land Rover has already managed to increase the range of its electric vehicle, Jaguar I-PACE, by 20 km.

Tata Consultancy Services has been offering IT expertise for 50 years

TCS is not a newcomer: Tata Consultancy Services has been a partner for global companies in IT services, consulting, and business solutions for over 50 years. TCS offers an integrated and consulting-led portfolio including industry-specific and customer-tailored solutions for business, technology, and development services. Agile methodologies are the standard at TCS, and the location-independent delivery model sets new benchmarks for software development. As part of the Tata Group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS employs over 614,000 people across 55 countries, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been operating in Germany and Austria since 1991. For close collaboration with customers, the company has its own sites in nine locations and is present at more than 55 customer locations.

Local cloud solutions for every need

Since 2008, TCS has been operating a regional delivery center in Düsseldorf. From the data center in Frankfurt, the company offers a complete portfolio of cloud solutions for the local market. According to a study by the independent institute Whitelane Research, TCS is one of the IT service providers with the highest customer satisfaction in Germany.

What does it mean?

The cloud is becoming increasingly important – and can, in extreme cases, decide races in real-time by analyzing and evaluating data in the shortest possible time. However, Kay Müller-Jones, Head of Consulting and Services Integration at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), explains that humans will not be replaced, as only they know how to specifically read, evaluate, recompose, or creatively combine data – to make e-cars more efficient, for example – on the road or the racing track.