The company said that the cooperation between ZF and Microsoft will enable the German component supplier to create new capabilities for its autonomous shuttle system.

ZF said this week that it has expanded its partnership with Microsoft to transfer all of its business, production and industrial processes to the technology company’s Azure cloud platform. ZF said that this move will have far-reaching impact, from more efficient manufacturing to a better understanding of all aspects of the global supply chain.

This may also be a boon for its automatic shuttle service. ZF said the cloud platform will allow a "continuous data flow" between its autonomous shuttle bus and its environment, such as providing real-time information about traffic and weather. It can also provide customers with new mobile applications, including real-time updates on shuttle availability and accurate waiting times.

"The secret is to know as much of the environment as possible to make the virtual driver truly safe," said Martin Fischer, a member of the ZF Management Board. "The more information we collect about the environment and provide it to the space shuttle, the better the virtual driver will be."

In recent months, ZF has invested heavily in self-driving shuttle buses for cities. In October, the company stated that it has become a "complete supplier" of autonomous shuttle systems, providing it with planning, implementation, operation and maintenance, and services.

Because it has a majority stake in 2getthere, which is headquartered in the Netherlands, it also provides its own shuttle service, and the company operates self-driving cars that can accommodate 22 passengers in a "semi-controlled environment."

ZF said in October that it had acquired a 5% stake in the British autonomous driving company Oxbotica, which plans to develop a Level 4 system for shuttles. It also stated that it has established a strategic partnership with transportation operator DB Regio to accelerate the adoption of autonomous shuttle buses in Germany.

ZF ranks No. 3 in the “Auto News” list of the world's top 100 suppliers, and its auto parts sales to automakers in 2020 amounted to 33.4 billion U.S. dollars.

Peter Sigal of Eurocar News contributed to this report.

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