Technology infrastructure vendor EMC Corp. has teamed-up with the Lotus F1 Team to help the auto racing team compete for a world championship with a cloud-enabled edge.
Lotus F1 is seeking help from EMC to optimize its resources to comply with complex new Formula 1 regulations coming into force for 2014. Formula 1s constructors will need to switch from normally-aspirated V8 engines to a new breed of hybrid, turbocharged V6 power units, and integrate new Energy Recovery System technology.
With the resulting changes in car design and engineering, engine power, aerodynamics and fuel consumption, the Lotus F1 team is overhauling its IT infrastructure, both trackside and at its headquarters. With help from EMC, the Lotus F1 Team will adopt a range of private cloud technologies, for more agile and cost-efficient storage and information management.
“We need the best IT resources available, and that is why we have chosen EMC,” said Patrick Louis, CEO of the Lotus F1 Team, in a statement. “This is another step forwards for Lotus F1 Team as we transform how we deliver our IT services at both Enstone and trackside locations throughout the world. By providing converged infrastructure and cloud-ready technology, EMC will help us accelerate our journey to the cloud – and to success on the track.”
Lotus F1 Team will deploy a VCE Vblock System at its main data centre, utilizing compute, networking and storage technologies from Cisco, EMC and VMware. This will support the team’s Computer-Aided Design program and its Microsoft Dynamics Enterprise Resource Planning solution. It will also use the EMC Atmos object-based cloud storage platform to store, archive and access Lotus F1 Team’s unstructured content at scale. EMC Data Domain and Cloud Tiering Appliance will also be utilized.
“The 2014 season will see a raft of rule changes and a revolution in the way Formula 1 cars are designed and built. With the emphasis on greater aerodynamic efficiency and a 35 per cent reduction in fuel consumption, the Technical Director’s challenge is greater than ever and EMC is delighted to have joined Lotus F1 Team’s portfolio of Technical Partners,” said Jeremy Burton, executive vice-president for product operations and marketing with EMC, in a statement. “EMC will work with the Team to enable secure and efficient management of its design and development data, as well as the Team’s on-track applications.”