Car firm Jaguar Land Rover is to open a software engineering centre in Shannon this year with the creation of 150 jobs.
The new facility will help develop new technologies and system for future electric and self-driving vehicles. From 2020, all new models under the Jaguar and Land Rover brands will be offered with electric versions and the firm has committed to a range of hybrid, plug-in and full electric power options in the coming years.
The firm’s first fully electric SUV, the Jaguar I-Pace, goes on sale later this year.
As part of the development, the premium car firm has agreed a partnership with online education provider Udacity, which specialises in courses such as automated driving, artificial intelligence, robotics and data analytics.
Nick Rogers, executive director of product engineering at the car giant, said: "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."
The firm said it was looking for software engineers with experience in a range of disciplines such as artificial intelligence, safety critical systems and vehicle architecture.
Brexit
Alongside a new factory in Slovakia, the move increases the firm's operations outside the UK, amid concerns over the potential impact of Brexit.
Welcoming the new centre, Martin Shanahan of IDA Ireland said: "Having a globally recognised company of such international standing will greatly enhance Shannon's reputation as a centre of excellence for such business. The 150 jobs will be of significant benefit to Clare and the midwest region."
Jaguar has been vocal in saying that automated driving need not mean the end of driving enjoyment, and has developed a prototype computerised steering wheel, with artificial intelligence, called “Sayer” which can be carried from vehicle to vehicle, bringing with it your driving and entertainment preferences.
