Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), a key subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group, stands as a global leader in automotive innovation and manufacturing, marking its presence in over 200 countries. Committed to sustainability and the future of mobility, HMC consistently redefines the automotive landscape.
Hyundai Motor Group’s most recent global strategy is to transform all vehicles within the Hyundai umbrella into Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) by 2025. Playing a central role in this plan, HMC aims to manufacture only All-Connected Cars by 2024.
At-a-Glance
Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) is digitally transforming its technology framework on its way to becoming a leader in All-Connected Car manufacturing by 2024. Unlocking Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) capabilities with Rancher Prime, HMC has achieved over 99.95% service level agreement for its Kubernetes-based services.
How Hyundai Boosted Cloud Reliability and Service Quality with SUSE
“We have achieved an exceptional 99.95% service level agreement for services running Kubernetes managed through Rancher Prime, which speaks volumes about the reliability and efficiency of the system.”
Journey to enterprise open source solutions
All-Connected Car systems, which are already at play for HMC premium brands, form the basis of SDV technology. This technology allows Hyundai to improve vehicle features like safety, convenience and performance through advanced Over-The-Air (OTA) updates – much like a smartphone. This shift to SDVs marks a significant leap into the future of automotive technology, redefining how drivers and passengers experience and interact with their vehicles.
In order to make SDVs a reality, HMC needed a robust and versatile platform capable of hosting an array of applications, from automotive infotainment systems to advanced navigation technologies and more. So, it turned to its dedicated car cloud platform development team to create a solution.
Already tasked with providing seamless computing services, comprehensive support functions and essential common services such as monitoring, logging and authentication, all within a bespoke private cloud environment, the team needed to build a stable and scalable infrastructure that could not only support the All-Connected Car concept but also be simple to manage. Conscious of the limitations and costs associated with proprietary solutions, the team decided to leverage open source technologies for development and production.
However, equipped with limited internal resources, the team struggled with maintaining the ever-evolving nature of open source technology. Wanting to focus its resources on innovation instead of maintenance and troubleshooting, the team shifted its approach, opting for formal licensing and technical support for its key open source technologies.
Why SUSE solutions?
In its quest to build a modern, microservices architecture, the team evaluated various container management solutions, including VMware Tanzu and Red Hat OpenShift, ultimately choosing Rancher Prime. The team had learned about Rancher Prime from a subsidiary, Hyundai AutoEver, which had glowing things to say about both the tool and SUSE’s technical support.
Rancher Prime’s technical parity with the community version of Rancher played a key role in the team’s decision. Because the team was already familiar with how unsupported Rancher met requirements for its container base, security configurations and more, the team bypassed a traditional proof of concept, instead relying on references to underpin its decision.
More than just meeting the basic needs, Rancher Prime, backed by SUSE’s comprehensive technical support, offered the team the opportunity to shift its focus from mere technology management to innovation and forward-thinking development.
Impact of Rancher Prime
HMC now uses Rancher Prime in tandem with OpenStack, Equinix Metal, Dell hardware and Intel processors in on-premises data centers and the cloud to help manage All-Connected Cars.
By integrating Rancher Prime into these systems, HMC has been able to implement a number of business-critical functions for an automotive manufacturer of the future. This collaboration has not only streamlined HMC’s operations but also set a new standard in the industry for software-driven vehicle innovation, from the factory floor to the open road.
The team is using Rancher Prime as the control tower for HMC’s ambitious SDV vision, enabling customers to experience the benefits of All-Connected Cars: infotainment systems, navigation and geographic information systems, and security and safety improvements, all through uninterrupted OTA updates.
Thanks to Rancher Prime’s ease of deployment and user-friendly interface, the team has drastically reduced the time and effort required to set up and manage container environments for different services.
“Rancher Prime’s intuitive ‘single pane-of-glass’ view has revolutionized the way we manage and configure our clusters, irrespective of their location — be it core or cloud,” says the person in charge of the car cloud platform development team at HMC. “The Rancher Prime portal has significantly simplified our creation of Kubernetes clusters needed for various services. Its seamless integration with our custom portal through the Rancher API has been a game-changer.”
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of Rancher Prime’s impact is in its performance metrics. “We have achieved an exceptional 99.95% service level agreement for services running Kubernetes managed through Rancher Prime, which speaks volumes about the reliability and efficiency of the system,” says the person in charge.
Impact of SUSE Services
HMC’s partnership with SUSE encompasses a wide range of support services crucial to its transformation. Since adopting enterprise services in 2022, the team has used product support, consulting, training and managed services.
This comprehensive approach has enabled HMC to fully leverage the capabilities of Rancher Prime, optimizing its Kubernetes estate management with a lean team. The depth and breadth of SUSE’s support have also empowered the team to navigate the complexities of upgrading and managing new Kubernetes versions with confidence and proficiency.
The person in charge says: “The level of support we’ve received from SUSE has been outstanding. Managing a large Kubernetes estate with limited resources is a formidable challenge, but SUSE’s expertise in upgrading and managing Kubernetes has been a cornerstone of our success.”
This partnership has not only facilitated technical management but also bolstered HMC’s commitment to staying at the forefront of automotive technology. The robust support from SUSE has been a key factor in ensuring that HMC’s technological infrastructure remains cutting-edge, resilient and capable of supporting its ambitious vision.
What’s next for HMC?
HMC’s commitment to innovation is set to deepen, and SUSE will continue to play a key role in those endeavors. HMC’s road map is clear: to solidify its position as a leader in the realm of All-Connected Cars by 2024. This vision is not confined to a single region but spans globally, with services already operational in South Korea, North America, Europe, Singapore, Australia and Indonesia. The scope of this expansion is set to grow, marking a new era in HMC’s global footprint.
A significant part of this future involves another strategic shift in HMC’s infrastructure. By transitioning many of its legacy, on-premises systems to Kubernetes with Rancher Prime, HMC is embracing a more flexible, scalable and innovative approach to vehicle technology.
As HMC continues to push the boundaries of automotive technology, its partnership with SUSE remains a cornerstone of its strategy. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and robust support systems, HMC is not just preparing for the future; it is actively shaping it, setting new standards for the open road.