Volvo Opens 'Flagship' Software Center Boosting SDV Capability

Volvo aims to accelerate its capabilities in the age of the software-defined-vehicle (SDV) with the creation of a new dedicated in-house software development and testing center.

The center in Gothenburg, Sweden, represents one of the biggest single investments by the automaker in the shape of a SEK 300 million ($27.3 millions) project fund. At a size of around 22,000 sq-m (72,178 sq.-ft.) will be the largest flagship development in a network of engineering centers and Tech Hubs around the world.

Volvo says its EX90 flagship demonstrates the need for advanced software capabilities with BEVs increasingly powered by cutting-edge core computers running in-house developed software that constantly improves over time thanks to regular over-the-air software updates. The center will initially employ around 100 people, a figure that is expected to grow to 300 once the testing facility is running at full capacity. Eventually the site will house around 500 testing rigs and digital test environments, up from almost 200 right now.

The Gothenburg site will work closely together with the automaker’s other engineering centers including Lund in Sweden, Shanghai in China, Bangalore in India plus the new Tech Hub in Singapore and the upcoming facility in Krakow, Poland, in February.

Anders Bell, global head of research and development, says: “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, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I firmly believe that with this new testing center, we’ve set a new benchmark for the automotive industry.”