NetApp®, the intelligent data infrastructure company, yesterday announced that it has expanded its relationship with Porsche Motorsport to become the exclusive Intelligent Data Infrastructure partner, accelerating access to Porsche Motorsport’s data to drive strategic decision-making on the track. This expansion also creates a new relationship between NetApp and Team Porsche Penske Motorsport in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) and World Endurance Championship (WEC), as well as continued support for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.
While working with NetApp, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team has earned four victories in the 2023-2024 Formula E season, putting the team in a competitive position for the season. NetApp’s approach to racing data, via its intelligent data infrastructure, gives the Formula E team real-time access to the data Porsche needs to inform race strategy, support data-driven decision making, and improve outcomes. For example, data-driven simulations help the team pick the best moment to activate the team’s signature Formula E Attack Mode, which unlocks an additional 50 kilowatts of engine power for a well-timed burst of extra speed. With the expanded partnership, Team Porsche Penske Motorsport will leverage NetApp technology in North America to share and analyze the data it needs to drive similar complex decisions in the IWSC and WEC.
“Racing is the ultimate test for technology because speed is literally the name of the game. Only a data infrastructure that’s intelligent can deliver data fast enough to help motorsports teams earn a victory lap,” said Gabie Boko, Chief Marketing Officer at NetApp. “Motorsports generate massive amounts of data during and even before a race that helps them develop their race strategy and respond to changing conditions. The Porsche Motorsport teams need reliable and instantaneous access to their data to stay competitive. As the leader in unified data storage, NetApp is uniquely positioned to help Porsche Motorsport share and analyze its data across its complex and high-performance IT environment wherever and whenever they need it, from the garage to the track.”
With this partnership, Porsche Motorsport can access its data in real time, supporting driver and team performance by leveraging NetApp’s market-leading capabilities, including:
- Cloud Volumes ONTAP: This offering creates a consistent storage experience for Porsche Motorsport across its hybrid cloud environment, allowing all of the team’s data to be consolidated in the cloud, but accessed anywhere it is needed.
- BlueXP: Porsche Motorsport uses this software to create a single control plane for managing its data across its hybrid cloud environment, including the capability to create local copies of datasets to conduct low-latency analysis for real-time, trackside decision making.
- Cloud Backup: Using this capability protects the significant investment of time, money, and expertise Porsche Motorsport has put into creating its data by ensuring high availability and cyber resiliency.
“Motorsports are more about technology than almost anything else. A skilled driver is only as good as the vehicle and race strategy can empower them to be,” said Carlo Wiggers, Director Team Management, Business Relations, and Esports at Porsche Motorsport. “NetApp helps us shine by powering the intelligent data infrastructure that moves our data to the exact place where it will be the most useful. Our teams travel around the world for race events but still need a connection to the data generated by our home base in Germany. NetApp has proven time and again that it can deliver that data reliably and speedily, giving us the confidence to expand our partnership to include the IWSC and WEC events in North America.”
