Formula 1 motor racing leader, McLaren-Honda has selected NTT Communications' software-defined-everything (SDx) technologies for track-side network connecting the Suzuka Circuit in Japan and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking.
By adopting NTT Communications' SDx technologies, McLaren-Honda plans to implement a series of tests during the Japanese Grand Prix to strengthen its remote management of race strategy using telemetry data provided at extra high speed.
NTT Communications' secure ICT infrastructure is expected to control network bandwidth flexibly and efficiently in testing the speed and quality of the new software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN)'s greatly increased bandwidth. Data will also be transmitted between Japan and the UK via an existing MPLS circuit.
Features of New SDx Technologies
The SD-WAN will offer expanded bandwidth and highly efficient data transmission in response to data priority by combining the existing MPLS circuit and NTT Communications' complementary circuits, including internet, constructed at the circuit.
The solution is expected to shift traffic from internet circuits in the garage, engineers' workplace, and guest Wi-Fi to these complementary circuits alongside the existing MPLS network. Large-capacity, high-resolution, video conferencing will be distributed over the NTT SD-WAN to enable the all-important collaboration between engineers working trackside and other global locations.
Network functions virtualization (NFV) infrastructure will be leveraged in the cloud to rapidly deploy both WAN acceleration for data transmission without latency and a unified threat management (UTM) Web proxy function for guaranteed network security.
SD-Exchange leveraged for high-speed connection between Japan and UKNTT Com's SD-Exchange service will enable high-volume data to be transmitted much faster than with a normal internet connection because the data will be routed from Japan to the UK through NTT Communications' global high-bandwidth infrastructure.
Data is shared widely in real-time, including at track and the team's headquarters in a coordinated effort to plan and implement real-time racing strategies faster than the competition. In-race transmissions can reach as much as 100GB of data — covering race-site weather, engine speeds, brake pressures, fuel levels, tire air pressure, on-board video, and more — this data is collected from 200 sensors and cameras embedded in a race car.
Tatsuya Yamashita, VP, Technology Development/VP, Next Generation Platform Taskforce
McLaren Honda is the remarkably advanced technological team among the Formula 1. It will be a great advantage for NTT Com to jointly conduct development as a technology partner to meet highly technological demand.
Matt Lockie, IT Director for Racing, McLaren Technology Group
In the highly competitive world of Formula One, our ability to partner with NTT Communications to utilize state of the art SD-WAN technology really helps to give us an advantage over the competition.
