The next generation of fully electric
Volvo Cars is ‘hardware designed, but software-defined’. The automotive manufacturer continuously invests in its in-house software development and testing capabilities and to that has announced a new software testing centre in Gothenburg, Sweden, that amplifies its capacity for integrated software testing at all levels.
At a size of around 22,000m
2 and representing an initial investment of circa £22.5 million, Volvo’s new software testing centre is the flagship site in its network of engineering centres and Tech Hubs around the world. It also operates software test centres in Lund, Sweden, and Shanghai, China, but its new Gothenburg facility is by far the largest in terms of size and capacity.
Global head of R&D Anders Bell said: “This is a ‘state of the art’ facility that will be the hub for our global software testing and validation activities. Developers from all our global engineering sites and tech hubs can run software tests here remotely, 24hr a day, 365 days a year. I firmly believe that with this new testing centre, we have set a new benchmark for the automotive industry.”
The new software testing facility will initially employ around 100 people, a figure that is expected to grow to 300 once it is running at full capacity. Eventually the site will house around 500 testing rigs and digital test environments, up from almost 200 currently.
Software-focused Tech HubThe Gothenburg site will work closely with Volvo’s other engineering centres around the world that play a central role in software development. Last month, the company established a new Tech Hub in Singapore, and announced plans for another software-focused Tech Hub in Krakow, Poland, in February.
Alwin Bakkenes, global head of software engineering, said: “Our growing ranks of software engineers work on a wide variety of exciting challenges. The aim is to boost our innovation speed by developing software for key areas for Volvo – from core safety technology based on our deep understanding of what causes accidents, to our perception and driver-assistance algorithms and software for future autonomous driving.”
Other software engineering challenges include developing the next-generation of connected features, and supporting the company’s development work through data analytics. Volvo is actively recruiting software engineers at its various locations around the world.
Apart from the sites in Krakow and Singapore, Volvo operates Tech Hubs in Stockholm and Lund in Sweden, as well as in Bangalore in India. The company 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 world-wide.