BMW inaugurates technology center in São Paulo with an investment of R$ 600 million

The BMW Group inaugurated, in São Paulo, its first information technology center in South America, named BMW Group TechWorks Brazil. Developed in partnership with the consultancy Act Digital, the hub reinforces the German automaker’s digitalization strategy in the region and is part of a global network of technology hubs that includes units in Germany, Portugal, India and South Africa.

The new unit will be the center for the development of customized software for the Latin American market. Among the priorities are solutions aimed at the BMW Group Financial Services and direct technological support to the brand’s industrial operations in Araquari (SC) and Manaus (AM). The structure aims to speed up local production and improve the digital interface of vehicles.

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According to Maru Escobedo, CEO of BMW Group Latin America, the center marks a strategic expansion. The initiative consolidates the presence of the automaker in the country, which already has engineering and sales fronts. For Carsten Sapia, vice president of IT for the Americas, the hub will be essential to adapt global demands to local particularities, uniting commercial and industrial operations.

One of the highlights of the project is the application of large-scale language models (LLM), similar to ChatGPT, to enhance the interaction between the customer and the vehicle. In addition, the unit will play a key role in the implementation of Neue Klasse in Brazil, the brand’s new electric car architecture, expected to be the biggest technological leap in the company’s history.

With a projected investment of R$ 600 million over the next five years, the center begins its activities with 200 professionals. The choice of São Paulo, according to BMW, reflects the abundance of technical talent and the favorable innovation ecosystem, allowing Brazil to move from being just a consumer market to becoming a global automotive technology developer.