When asked which leading technologies are capable of delivering exponential value to the automotive industry, Keyworth was decisive. On the one hand, it is moving towards digital twins and on the other, towards artificial intelligence (AI). „Digital twin technology will continue to be important to us.”. At the beginning of a car’s life, we create a simulated digital version of it. This is „It allows for very quick iterations and can simulate the physics of aerodynamics in a car.”. Once satisfied with the proof of concept, the technical manager continues, „We present it to the pilots in the driving simulator. Again, this is still a digital version of the car, we haven’t translated it into reality yet.”
After testing in the digital sphere, McLaren builds a 60% version of the Formula 1 car and tests it in the wind tunnel. „It’s the first time you get a physical sense of what’s going on.” If the result is satisfactory, the car is built to full scale, tested on the track and then goes to the competition. „The potential of digital dual technology was huge for us, it allowed us to extract maximum performance by testing all the parameters that could happen throughout a race.”
Following a similar streak, Keyworth stopped at AI. The rise of AI in the market has encouraged us to evolve our strategy Around this technology. The fact is that there are many opportunities in the game to use itDirectly improve or enhance the performance of the car Back to the officefinance, human resources, legal, commercial, purchasing teams… In this sense, the McLaren spokesperson continued, „I believe this type of technology represents a turning point in the way work is done, a paradigm shift.”
„We make an engineering change every 15 seconds, just as there is a huge amount of innovation.”
Data Under the Track: Benefits and Big Challenges
Contributing to the British team’s improvement in numbers was its strategy based on trackside data. „At every race, we use a micro data center in a truck at the circuit to process all the data coming out of the vehicle at the edge and make intelligent decisions.” With the terabytes of data the company generates each race weekend, they do different things. For example, says Keyworth, „they communicate between the team at the race and the technicians at headquarters to provide the driver with real-time strategic information and make informed decisions at high speed”. „Behind it at the technical level is a research and complex process, once the data is processed the information sent is as simple and informative as possible”Assegura Keyworth.
McLaren Racing will showcase its new vehicle at DTW 2024.
Irene Iglesias Alvarez
The biggest challenge is the data environment Keyworth takes on the role of director of commercial technology at McLaren. „The changing landscape of unstructured data is wild. It has contributed to a complete shift in storage requirements. To solve this problem, the company relied on Dell Technologies’ solution APEX, which allowed them „a kind of flexibility on demand.” „I feel like it gives us good cost control, good flexibility, but also better performance.”
Strategic integration
Speaking precisely about Dell Technologies, it is worth highlighting the alliance extended by both parties after strengthening their ties. A strategic integration that gains relevance after years of collaboration, transforms technology Partner Trusted by the team. „The collaboration began in 2018, although we have been consumers of the provider’s technology for a long time,” Keyworth admits.