New Delhi:

German auto major BMW Group and global product engineering and digital services company Tata Technologies today said they will form a joint venture to establish an automotive software and IT development center in India.

The two companies have signed an agreement to form a joint venture to establish automotive software and IT development centers in Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai, a joint statement from the two companies said.

Major development and operational activities will be carried out in Bangalore and Pune.

In Chennai, the focus should be on business IT solutions, it added.

The statement added that the signing of the joint venture agreement is subject to review and approval by relevant authorities.

The joint venture will provide automotive software, including software-defined vehicle (SDV) solutions for the BMW Group’s high-end vehicles and digital transformation solutions for its business IT. It will begin operations with 100 innovators and “intends to grow rapidly to four figures over the next few years,” the statement said.

The joint venture will form part of the BMW Group’s global network of software and IT centers.

“Our partnership with the BMW Group demonstrates our commitment to delivering premier automotive software and digital engineering solutions to our customers around the world,” said Warren Harris, CEO and Managing Director, Tata Technologies.

He added that the company will help the BMW Group design quality products, provide customers with “excellent digital experiences” and drive its digital transformation journey in the IT area of ​​its business.

Christoph Grote, senior vice president of software and electronic and electrical architecture at BMW Group, said that the cooperation with Tata Technologies will accelerate BMW’s progress in the field of software-defined cars.

“Compared to international comparisons, India has a large pool of talent with excellent software skills who can contribute to our software competitiveness,” Grote added.

Furthermore, he said developing vehicle software for the BMW Group means using top-notch processes and tools, which in turn gives Indian software engineers the opportunity to shape state-of-the-art premium automotive experiences in future areas such as highly automated driving and artificial intelligence.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)