Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover
The automobile giant is to open a new software engineering centre in Shannon, which will create 150 new jobs.
Shannon is seen as a great business link for the firm globally and the new centre will look to hone in on Jaguar Land Rover establishing the company’s plans for electric and automated vehicles development through new, innovative technologies.
The development of the next generation of electric vehicles at Shannon is supported by the Irish Development Agency.
The news also correlates with Jaguar Land Rover teaming up with the online education provider Udacity. This education firm specialises in courses revolving around automated driving, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and data analytics.
The Minster of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen, said: “This is a great boost for Shannon, Co. Clare and the Midwest Region. Jaguar Land Rover are iconic brands which have endured through innovation and staying ahead of their competitors. This new software engineering centre will bring 150 new high-quality jobs to Shannon. The region has much to offer with qualified and talented people and I wish Jaguar Land Rover and its team well in its endeavours.”
Nick Rogers, Executive Director of Product Engineering, said: “Technical innovation lies at the heart of Jaguar Land Rover and our innovation is continuous. The new facility provides an exciting opportunity for us to pioneer future autonomous and electrification technologies. The heart of our business will always be in the UK. The creation of a team in Shannon strengthens our international engineering capabilities and complements our existing team of more than 10,000 engineers based in the UK.”