Dell and Subaru get AI on the road

 Dell storage systems help Subaru store and manage approximately 1,000 times more files than before to power next-generation AI solution development

Subaru Lab reduces storage costs while scaling performance through Dell PowerScale storage tiering capabilities.

Full story

 A new partnership suggests that AI is set to have a profound impact on one of the most common means of transportation, promising to make it safer for drivers, passengers and pedestrians

Subaru is teaming up with Dell Technologies to help improve driver safety through the combination of AI and high-performance storage. 

“Subaru is driving massive innovation through data to give motorists an extra set of eyes and an extra foot on the brake while entrusting Dell Technologies to enable this journey as its AI development infrastructure,” says Arthur Lewis, president of the infrastructure solutions group at Dell Technologies. “As an AI-ready data platform, Dell PowerScale storage allows companies like Subaru to integrate, analyse and use data to deliver impactful insights that advance human progress and transform industries.” 

Subaru can store, manage and use a vast amount of data to advance the development of its next-generation EyeSight Driver Assist Technology with the selection of Dell PowerScale network attached storage systems. Sold in more than 5.5-million EyeSight-equipped vehicles, today’s EyeSight Driver Assist Technology monitors traffic movement, optimises cruise control and warns drivers if they sway outside their lane. PowerScale meets the increased IT demand for AI modeling and validation while helping customers easily scale capacity and performance wherever their data resides.

Subaru Lab, the AI development base for Subaru established in 2020, can store approximately 1,000 times more files on Dell PowerScale systems than with previous platforms. Subaru now can improve AI image analysis by easily accessing stored files on PowerScale systems deployed in data centers across the Subaru Lab and Tokyo offices, which wasn’t previously possible. The ability to scale and use data flexibly across locations has expanded the possibilities for business expansion.

“As a brand that has built its reputation on trust, we are constantly expanding AI development to increase the reliability in our vehicles while contributing to the greater good,” says Takashi Kanai, deputy chief of Subaru Lab. “While requirements for systems and storage are ever changing, we are confident that Dell PowerScale is up to the task as the underlying infrastructure for EyeSight Driver Assist Technology, allowing us to continue advancing our AI initiatives to improve driver safety.”

EyeSight is the world’s first system to use only stereo camera technology to provide driver assist features such as pre-collision braking, which detects not only cars but also pedestrians and motorcycles in the vehicle’s path, as well as adaptive cruise control.

A study by Subaru, based on data from Japan’s Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA), has shown that the accident rate of EyeSight-equipped vehicles in Japan is as low as 0.06%.