The Big Data Boom Automobile Magazine

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich declared that "data is literally the new oil" during an address at last year's L.A. auto show. The idea that bits and bytes will replace petroleum as the primary fuel for the world's economy--and the auto industry in particular--isn't an original one. But it summarizes what many insiders believe: As data analytics engines become more valuable than vehicle engines in the coming years, the flood of information gleaned from them will serve as a primary driver of automotive innovation with potentially billions in profits at stake as a result. Cars are just now becoming connected, and as autonomous technology moves into the mainstream the flow of data will turn from a trickle into a full-blown gusher. Automakers, their major suppliers, and large tech companies are already jockeying to take advantage of what Intel calls the coming "Passenger Economy … when today's drivers become idle passengers." But it's how they properly tap into and cap that well of information that will be the hard part.