Chongqing - Auto software development is a key chain of intelligent connected vehicles.
In short, what we often say about the smart electronic control or car system, is to use one system to integrate and manage all smart vehicle functions, which cannot be done without auto software.
KOTEL Information Technology is a software tech company specializing in developing the underlying logic of auto software. Based in Wuhan, China, its major businesses come from abroad. It has cooperated with BMW, Nissan, Toyota, and Renault to localize the ADAS application of vehicles of those companies to China.
KOTEL's products have won several international recognitions, including from some top assessment companies. (iChongqing/Kenny Dong)
More and more international auto producers are looking for Chinese software developers, as China has been spending way more resources on exploring the path of electrification of vehicles in recent years. But it is not good enough for a company that wants to be influential to have only quality businesses. KOTEL knows that, and its ambition is to lead the whole industry.
The Super Software Workshop is an idea brought by the company. Establishing a software production platform where some fundamental codes are shared is essential to avoid redundant development, decreasing development costs.
"Initially, we thought this would alleviate the talent shortage problem in the auto software field," Wang Jianjun, General Manager of Chongqing KOTEL, told iChongqing, "but more importantly, we are only the initiator of this concept. The Workshop will finally open to society, and we welcome colleagues to join this platform."
Wang said that in cooperation with a Japanese company, they had conducted "China-process" production for the client, which means comprehensively using local Chinese experiences to develop their auto software. This is a signal of Chinese auto software leading the world.
With over 2,000 employees, KOTEL has designated its Chongqing branch with hundreds of people working closely with local auto producers. (iChongqing/Kenny Dong)
KOTEL was founded in Wuhan, Hubei province. It announced to set auto software headquarters in Chongqing in February. Apart from Wuhan and Chongqing, it set up branches in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Shenyang.
"At the beginning of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic outbroke, our business had ground to a halt, from which later we realized the drawback of putting all of our daily operations in one place, so we started to seek nationwide deployment," Wang said, "Chongqing produces over three million vehicles every year. We thought the massive production would benefit our new technology's implementation. Once we mature a new technology, we can promote it to the rest of the country from here."
On Oct. 2, Chongqing municipality issued an action plan about the city developing auto software and AI application, bringing to build the country's first-tier city to develop those technologies. For now, Chongqing has gathered auto software developers like KOTEL, Thundersoft, Changan Automobile Software, and SERES Software Center.