Volkswagen Group and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced an extension of their partnership to further develop the Digital Production Platform (DPP), a cloud-based system aimed at supporting Volkswagen’s global automotive manufacturing. The collaboration, which will continue for another five years, is intended to make production processes more flexible and faster, reduce IT costs, and accelerate the introduction of new vehicle models.
The DPP allows Volkswagen to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced IT systems across its worldwide production sites. The platform has evolved from an industrial partner network into a digital link connecting order intake, logistics, and manufacturing. This integration enables seamless data flow throughout the entire process chain—a necessary step for widespread AI use in manufacturing.
Currently, 43 Volkswagen Group sites in Europe as well as North and South America are connected to the DPP. In total, Volkswagen operates 114 production facilities globally.
Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management for IT at Volkswagen Group, said: “Our ambition is to become the global automotive tech driver. To achieve this, we are consistently digitalizing and connecting all areas of our company. Our goal is to bring products and technologies to our customers even faster. The Digital Production Platform plays a key role in this: it is the digital nervous system of our factories – and the key to a future of AI-powered production.”
Volkswagen can now roll out new IT systems uniformly across all factories linked by the DPP. For example, “Guided Vehicle Completion” optimizes coordination in vehicle assembly and is already used at 13 plants across several brands.
AWS’s scalable infrastructure supports hosting these critical systems in the cloud while reducing risks such as production line stoppages. Standardized systems have led to medium-term savings estimated in the double-digit millions. These standards also support consistent use of AI technology; with tools like 'KI4UPS', AI helps teams identify electronic issues during software deployment on assembly lines—reducing manual workloads.
Across its operations, Volkswagen uses over 1,200 AI applications that extend beyond production tasks. Using AWS services like Amazon SageMaker, Volkswagen trains AI models for quality control and cost reduction efforts. At its Poznań plant in Poland, AI optimization has cut electricity consumption by 12 percent along with lowering CO₂ emissions.
At German locations including Wolfsburg and Ingolstadt, real-time image analysis ensures components are accurately fitted during assembly—aiding quicker error detection and correction.
Centralized data availability also improves resilience by enabling quicker decision-making when supply chain disruptions occur or when adjusting cybersecurity measures.
Christian Vollmer, Member of the Brand Board of Management for Production and Logistics at Volkswagen Group said: “Our high-performance vehicle production is a key driver of success for the Volkswagen Group and its brands... By more closely integrating development and manufacturing through a shared, AI-capable data structure, we are creating the conditions to bring our vehicles to customers even faster.”
Looking ahead, Volkswagen aims to prepare for software-defined vehicles (SDVs), where most functions are managed via software updates—even during manufacture—supported by developments from its joint venture with Rivian Automotive.
Kathrin Renz, Vice President of AWS Industries added: "Volkswagen Group is setting new standards for smart manufacturing... Our five-year extended collaboration combines AWS's cloud infrastructure and purpose-built IoT and machine learning services with Volkswagen's manufacturing expertise. Together, we're fast-tracking AI solutions that will help unlock new levels of innovation throughout Volkswagen Group’s manufacturing operations."
In time, DPP is expected to cover large parts of Volkswagen’s production system while remaining compatible with industry standards such as Catena-X.
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