Thales, a global technology and security company, has announced a partnership with Michelin. The tire maker will use the Thales Sentinel software monetization platform to protect its intellectual property and deploy its software to customers around the world.
Michelin, known for providing tires for vehicles ranging from bicycles to space shuttles, is diversifying into software-led revenue. Its TameTire software allows car manufacturers and motorsports teams to simulate real-world tire performance with a high level of accuracy. It is one of several simulation products that Michelin deploys and protects using Thales Sentinel.
Using complex algorithms, TameTire predicts tire behaviors in reaction to various forces, torques and temperatures to help manufacturers produce better-handling car models at reduced costs. It also allows motorsports teams to test and fine-tune their vehicle setups in a more convenient and safer environment.
Other simulation products that Michelin deploys using Thales’ Sentinel software include Canopy, which provides laptime simulation, vehicle modeling and setup exploration, using the power of cloud computing and a proprietary collocation solver; and SiMiX, which provides datasets for vehicle manufacturers, racing teams and automotive supply chain organizations, covering components such as tires, chassis and suspensions.
Michelin relies on Sentinel’s ability to license software on premises, in the cloud or in a combination of the two. While TameTire is typically deployed offline or in a hybrid environment, Canopy and SiMiX are deployed exclusively in the cloud, leveraging Thales’ Sentinel Cloud License Manager.
Damien Bullot, vice president of software monetization at Thales, commented, “Given that Michelin’s innovative software is complex and proprietary, we recognized their need for an agile licensing platform that was both easy to deploy and able to protect against IP theft. Thales Sentinel manages all Michelin’s software licensing under one solution that is fully compatible with Michelin’s infrastructure. We are pleased to see reported operational efficiencies and revenue growth from this collaboration.”
Pierre-Yves Mauriere, product owner for TameTire at Michelin, added, “As an organization whose reputation is based on quality, focusing on quality was essential to us as we expanded our business to software-led offerings. We are the clear market leader for this type of solution, and partnering with Thales ensured we could not only protect this valuable software IP but also offer a new subscription business model and scale our license-based revenue stream. Relying on the Sentinel platform allows us to focus on further innovating our software and creating value for our customers.”
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