In an attempt to reach more closer to the technology industry, car maker Ford has introduced its brand new 25,000-square-foot research center in Silicon Valley.
Unveiling the research center, Ford CEO Mark Fields said that the company has been exploring for the best technology that are available for the industry.
The company’s brand new research center is located in the Stanford Research Park.
“As we think about coming to Silicon Valley, we want to be viewed as part of the ecosystem here. Silicon Valley is a marketplace of ideas and it’s important to be here and be a part of that. The research center is another proof point of that,” said Fields.
Since 2012, the automobile manufacturer has a research center in Silicon Valley. However, the new facility set up at the Stanford Research Park represents a major surge in the presence of Ford in the area. The company officials said that the old research center can only house eight employees, but the newly developed one will be launched with 20 engineers, most of which are in software.
Ford is also planning to raise the number of engineers to 125 at the site within the year. This will make the research facility one of the biggest research centers for auto manufacturers.
The auto makers are increasingly looking forward to become more associated with the technology industry. Many of the bigwigs of this industry already have a research and development laboratories in Silicon Valley that are working rigorously on technology for driverless cars and car connectivity.
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