Automobiles are becoming the focus of technology providers, including cloud providers. Recently, cars are becoming software-defined. Most auto manufacturers are moving in the same direction, providing a completely connected, software-defined product, albeit some more slowly than others.

The key is that the car will become an edge computer, with lighter-weight processing occurring on board as related to the safe operation of the vehicle. The more impressive stuff will occur on the back-end cloud providers that house massive amounts of data and process-intensive AI and analytics systems.

The benefit for enterprises will be the development of self-driving trucks that can carry loads over long distances and become part of a more predictable and reliable supply chain. Moreover, maintenance and fuel costs should drop, and even trucks driven by humans should provide superior safety, efficiency, and comfort.