Ford plans on expanding its presence in Silicon Valley with a new research center it opened on Thursday.
The facility, called the Research and Innovation Center, will be used to come up with new ideas for future vehicles, included connected and self-driving cars, according to PC Magazine.
"Innovation for us is very meaningful because it's in our DNA, in the legacy of Henry Ford. Innovation is why a lot of us joining the company in the first place," Mark Fields, president and CEO of Ford, said at a press event celebrating the opening of the research center. "We want to be reviewed as part of the ecosystem in Silicon Valley. The Research and Innovation Center is another proof point of what we're doing and in a year, we will be one of the largest, dedicated automotive research teams here in the valley."
Dragos Maciuca, a former engineer with Apple, Lockheed Martin and BMW Group Technology Office, will lead a team of researchers and engineers on automated vehicles with Stanford University, USA Today reported. The team will also work with scientists from Carnegie Mellon University-Silicon Valley to improve speech recognition programs.
The Research and Innovation Center also expands on a facility the Detroit-based automaker opened in 2012. Ford outposts from Dearborn, Mich., and Achen, Germany, will also contribute on future projects.
Ford said it plans on expanding its staff to 125 researchers, engineers and scientists by the end of this year, PC Magazine reported.
Fields said Ford will use the research center to not only provide a more enjoyable driving experience, but solve problems like congested city streets in a fun way.
"If you give folks very meaningful work, that not only attracts folks but it retains them. And if you think about some of the advancements made in automotive and computing in the last five years, it blows your mind," Fields said.
