BMW Group and Tata Technologies have signed an agreement to form a JV to establish a software and IT development hub with locations in Pune, Bangalore and Chennai, India.

The main development and operations activities will be established at Bangalore and Pune. In Chennai, the focus will be on business IT solutions. The execution of the JV agreement is subject to review and approval by the relevant authorities.

The new JV will leverage Tata Technologies’ digital engineering expertise to contribute to the BMW Group’s strategic expansion of software coding capabilities across global IT hubs and 24/7 operations.

The JV will focus on strategic software development, including solutions for software defined vehicles (SDV). In automotive software, the focus will be on automated driving, infotainment and digital services. In business IT, the emphasis will be on digitalization and automation of product development, production and sales. The JV kicks off with 100 Tata Technologies professionals and the two companies said it is ‘likely to grow quickly to a four-digit number in the following years’.

Christoph Grote, Senior Vice President of Software and E/E Architecture at BMW Group said: “Our collaboration with Tata Technologies will accelerate our progress in the field of the software defined vehicle. In international comparison, India boasts a large number of talents with outstanding software skills, who can contribute to our software competence. Developing vehicle software for the BMW Group means working with top-class processes and tools, which in turn gives Indian software engineers the chance to shape state-of-the-art, premium automotive experiences in future fields such as highly automated driving and artificial intelligence.”

“The expansion of international DevOps hubs has clearly proved to be a successful model for the BMW Group,” said Alexander Buresch, CIO and Senior Vice President of BMW Group IT. “I am therefore extremely pleased that we have found a strong and valued technology partner with Tata Technologies and are now also expanding our footprint in India.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Warren Harris, CEO and MD of Tata Technologies, said: “Our collaboration with the BMW Group demonstrates our commitment to providing top-tier solutions in automotive software and digital engineering to customers across the world. Aligned with our vision of engineering a better world, we’re excited to bring our expertise to the forefront, aiding BMW Group in engineering premium products, delivering great digital experiences for their customers and propelling its digital transformation journey in Business IT.”

Nachiket Paranjpe, President of Automotive Sales at Tata Technologies, said: "In the evolving automotive landscape, the journey towards software-defined vehicle represents a pivotal shift in automotive software and vehicle development methodologies. We will leverage our deep domain knowledge and SDV expertise to collaborate with the BMW Group towards engineering vehicles that are not just technologically advanced but deliver exceptional experiences to consumers around the globe."

The two companies also said the collaboration between Tata Technologies and BMW Group represents a ‘shared vision of innovation and excellence in automotive engineering and digital solutions’.