New tech hub to be a key software development centre and play a crucial role in Volvo’s fully electric brand strategy.
The Krakow hub will carry full responsibility for developing complete and key features on new fully electric cars with local engineers joining a global pool of talent to boost innovation speed by developing software for key areas for Volvo Cars – from core safety technology to the company’s perception and driver assistance algorithms and software for autonomous driving.
Other engineering challenges include developing next generation connected features, or supporting development work through data analytics.
Volvo intends to have its new tech hub operational by the end of 2023 with around 120 bright engineering minds in place by that time. By the middle of the decade, it aims to employ between 500 and 600 people in Krakow, complementing and closely linked to its core engineering centres in China and Sweden, as well as the other Volvo tech hubs around the world.
Software-defined
The automotive industry is rapidly changing and the forthcoming Volvo fully electric cars will all be software-defined.
The car of the future will be fully electric, increasingly sold online, powered by cutting-edge core computers running in-house developed software and become better over time thanks to regular over-the-air software updates.
That makes in-house software development key to achieving the company’s strategic ambitions, which include being a leader in new technology and a pure electric car brand by 2030.
Jim Rowan, Volvo chief executive says, “Our next generation of cars will be more than just transport, they’ll be computers on wheels, designed to be updated over the air with new software. That means that our Krakow tech hub and growing our in-house software development capabilities are key to our future success.”
Volvo has had a presence in Poland for around 30 years – and the city is an emerging technology centre with a broad network of tech firms in the region. It also has a large telecoms sector, an industry which has been a rich source of recruits at other locations where Volvo has engineering centres.
“Our ambition is to attract and recruit top talent globally by being present in strategically important locations,” said Hanna Fager, Volvo’s head of Human Resources. “Our new Tech Hub in Krakow is a perfect example of that.”
The company currently operates tech hubs in Stockholm and Lund in Sweden, as well as in Bangalore in India. It also has large engineering centres in Shanghai, China and Gothenburg, Sweden. While each of these locations has its own focus area, together they make up a crucial network of innovation centres strategically spread around the globe.