Automotive giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) on Wednesday announced that it is setting up a Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad with an investment of $150 million.
FCA ICT India, FCA's new innovation and technology development facility, will create nearly 1,000 new cutting-edge technology jobs by the end of 2021 and it has plans to increase hiring over the next two to three years.
This will be FCA's second largest facility outside North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
"The $150 million investment to set up a Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad cements our continued commitment to India and our customers," said Dr. Partha Datta, President and Managing Director, FCA India.
"FCA ICT India will be our technology backbone that will not only help us develop products for future mobility but will also sharpen our efforts to enhance customer-centricity. This is a significant step forward in realizing our vision to make our Indian operations more capable to develop digitally-driven products and technologies locally for India and also for the world," he told a virtual news conference.
Karim Lalani, director and head of FCA ICT India, said the new centre will drive strategic competencies in niche technology areas for connected vehicle programs, artificial intelligence, data science, and cloud technologies.
He said the company was building an innovation powerhouse to deliver at the speed of customer expectations by harnessing intelligence throughout the customer lifecycle. It will be establishing an ecosystem of strategic partners, start-ups, digital accelerators and universities in Hyderabad.
Lalani said the newly recruited employees will work on exciting products and concepts that will define the future of mobility at FCA. The Global Digital Hub will serve as a transformation and innovation engine for FCA and drive global IT strategy, and deliver excellence through a robust platform, technology and service centres of excellence.
"We are working closely with strategic technology partners to accelerate our talent and competency ramp-up at FCA ICT India," said Lalani.
"The availability of talent coupled with a culture of innovation and pro-business policies played a major role in FCA's decision to set-up the facility in Hyderabad. The Global Digital Hub will also expand FCA's relationships with several ecosystem partners, including strategic partners, startups, digital accelerators and universities, to accelerate our innovation agenda," said Mamatha Chamarthi, Chief Information Officer, FCA, North America and Asia Pacific.
FCA has a major presence in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, with headquarters in Mumbai and employs over 3,000 people. The company has a joint venture vehicle and powertrain manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon, Maharashtra. The company's engineering and product development operations are located in Pune and Chennai.
FCA India manufactures the award-winning Jeep Compass in Ranjangaon and exports the SUV to 13 international right-hand drive markets, including Japan and Australia. FCA India is gearing up to launch a number of new and exciting products in 2021.
Telangana's Minister for industry and information technology K.T. Rama Rao welcomed FCA's decision to open the Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad and assured all support to the company from the government.
The Minister also urged the company to look at Telangana for its manufacturing component and the collaboration in promotion of electrical mobility.