The story of IT at Škoda Auto
Fifty-five years ago, Škoda Auto took its first step towards digitisation by installing the first IBM mainframe computer at its plant. Today, all systems – from employee e-mail communication to the complex calculations of the Technical Development department – are powered by servers and computers housed in two data centres, whose power and capacity are beyond comprehension for the average user.
The Timeless Story of IT at Škoda Auto
The first IBM mainframe was installed at the carmaker 55 years ago, marking the first step towards the digitisation of Škoda Auto. Today, the carmaker operates the most powerful supercomputer in the Czech Republic.
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All systems at the carmaker – from employee e-mail communication to production management to the complex calculations of the Technical Development department – are currently powered by servers and computers housed in two data centres at the Mladá Boleslav plant. It is a fascinating world full of cutting-edge technologies that Škoda IT is continuously modernising and updating. The performance and capacities of both data centres are beyond comprehension for the average user.
The journey to such advanced technological infrastructure and Škoda Auto’s exceptional position in the IT industry, not only in the Czech Republic, began 55 years ago. To put this in context, it was the time when the famous “embéčko” was about to be removed from the carmaker’s portfolio and replaced by the Škoda 100 and 110 models. The then-AZNP (Automobile Plants, National Enterprise – ed.) managed to navigate the planned economy system and the onset of Normalisation to acquire Western technology, the IBM System/360 mainframe computer, in a rather roundabout way. Interestingly, at that time in Houston, USA, the same model was helping land the first man on the Moon.
The device, located in the V8 building near today’s Customer Service Centre, was operated by technicians via a control console, and it recorded data to disk arrays or magnetic tapes. It reliably served the carmaker for 20 years without any electronic malfunctions. Gradually, other machines were added to it, including Western successors and their Eastern European “clones”. Unfortunately, the IBM System/360 was scrapped in the 1990s and has not survived.
Technological leap
The global boom in computer technology coincided with the carmaker’s entry into the VW Group. For Škoda Auto, this meant not only acquiring new technologies but also introducing a different corporate culture and establishing data connections with Wolfsburg. This communication was initially routed over slow and unreliable data lines via Vienna and later updated thanks to a satellite link on the roof of the V8 building.
The next step was to build its own data centres to replace the original computer hall. The first was constructed in the C21 building in 2000, and after just a few years, the needs of the carmaker required expansion. In 2012, an even larger, more modern and more powerful data centre was added in the C12 building. This strategy not only helped to secure the carmaker better but also minimised the impact of possible outages.
Prior to the creation of the data centres, the carmaker’s modern facilities consisted of workstations located, for example, in Technical Development. Once they were operational, all essential technology was moved here. At first, there were symmetric multiprocessor systems with shared memory (SMP), later replaced by cluster systems with their own operating memory for each processor. This allowed them to solve increasingly complex tasks.
Another breakthrough came in 2019, when the carmaker plugged in the HPE Cray EX supercomputer. It was the most powerful device of its kind in the Czech Republic, adept at solving demanding tasks such as aerodynamics, crash test simulations and engine calculations.
Dynamic future
Today, Škoda IT employs more than 700 people and manages nearly 1,500 applications. What is certain is that both numbers, as well as the performance of IT technology in the carmaker, will grow. One of the main tasks for the present and the future is to train and enhance employee skills, support other departments across the carmaker and attract talent, for example, through the 42 Prague Institute. Škoda IT also underscores its importance through its SAP competence centre, which provides services to the VW Group worldwide, and its pioneering approach to remote production management at its plants in India.
Milestones of the 55 years of IT services at the carmaker
1969
The carmaker provisionally launches an IBM System/360 Model 30 mainframe computer acquired in Austria.
1970
The first computer is moved into the computer hall in the V8 building.
1976
The carmaker installs a more durable IBM System/7 computer in the M5 building.
1977
The first Czechoslovakia-made computer, the Aritma A10, is ordered to replace the punch-card machines.
1978
An East Germany–made Robotron EC 1040 is installed in the new computer centre hall (ground floor of building V8).
1983
In the first half of the 1980s, the first “desktop” personal computers gradually arrive at AZNP, often purchased by individual departments.
1988
The IBM 360/30 ceases operations and the position of the IBM S/7 is taken over by its Czechoslovak copies, the Aritma KA10.
1991
Following the merger with the VW Group, the main computing agenda is taken over by newer IBM mainframes.
1996
The carmaker launches its first website, enabling users to find details on the offered cars, for example.
2000
The newly built data centre in the C21 building begins operations.
2007
Škoda Auto purchases its first cluster system with very fast processors for extremely demanding tasks.
2012
Opening of the second data centre in the C12 building. SAP competence centre is established to handle tasks for the entire VW Group.
2019
The most powerful corporate supercomputer in the Czech Republic becomes operational in Mladá Boleslav.
2022
The independent training institute for IT professionals, 42 Prague, founded by Škoda Auto, begins operations.
Supplement for the 55th Anniversary of Škoda IT
The development of the IT department and technologies at Škoda Auto is detailed in a special supplement to this issue of Škoda Mobil, filled with historical photographs and reminiscences of veterans.