This Google Cloud tech is making Formula E races tighter and even faster

Here’s one to cross off your tech bingo card for 2024. Formula E and Google Cloud are teaming up to turbocharge the future of electric racing. This isn’t about giving these electric cars a fresh lick of paint and calling it innovation. This multi-year deal is going to let Google pack the cars and races with extra tech to help the racing drivers go even faster.

Read more: How to watch Formula 1 2024 live, wherever you are

Google and Formula E have the Race Car Development Programme. This isn’t your average “let’s make the car go brrr” setup. Google Cloud’s tech prowess offers data analytics, and generative AI tools that are set to accelerate development. Imagine cars getting smarter, races getting tighter, and the gap between victory and defeat coming down to sheer data crunching.

Remember Jake Hughes? The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team driver who smashed the indoor land speed Guinness World Record at a whopping 218.7km/h? Well, that was just a taste of what’s coming. Google Cloud’s generative AI DriverBot took real-time data, mixed it with historic race data, and helped Hughes leave the previous record in the dust – by over 50 km/h, no less.

But wait, there’s more. This partnership isn’t just about making the cars faster. The brands want to work on new technologies in sporting development. We’re talking cutting-edge data analytics and AI to push the boundaries of what these electric beasts can do. By diving deep into the ocean of fan data, Google wants to help Formula E get even more fans on board. Plus, the brands are paving the way for young women into motorsport and boosting sustainability, with a number of programmes.

Jeff Dodds, the big boss at Formula E, wasn’t shy about their ambitions, calling this partnership a testament to their drive to “make Formula E the most innovative and heart-racing sport on the planet”. And if you’re wondering where you can catch this electrifying action, the latest Formula E season has 11 race teams duking it out in 16 races across 10 iconic cities. The season will wrap up with a grand finale in London on 20 and 21 July 2024.

Related: Historic Formula E double victory for Jaguar TCS Racing underlines its innovations

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Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around six years now, with writing across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts! Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene. This exciting involvement puts him at the front of new and exciting tech, always on the lookout for innovating products.