Portuguese-German company creates technology for cars of the future
Jornal de Negócios
· 21 Dec 2022
Xelerate.tech, chose the Invicta city as the base of its operation, has just created DigitalCar, which aims to hire 50 engineers and is developing a partnership with the German company AVL Software and Functions, a world reference in development, simulation and testing in the automotive industry.
It entered Portugal in 2021 through Porto, where it set up its operational base, with the central offices being located in Matosinhos. Currently with a small team of 11 people, the German-Portuguese company Xelerate.tech made itself publicly known last summer, when it helped the Danish multinational ISS World Services to open a technology centre in the city of Porto, with the promise of hiring more than a hundred software engineers by the end of next year.
In addition to "'set up' and management of technological 'hubs' with partners from various business areas, focusing on digital transformation, enhancing and leveraging the sustained growth of the respective 'hubs'", Xelerate.tech is also dedicated to the "development of specialized software for various business areas", highlights Pedro Rocha, CTO of the company, in statements to Negócios.
And it was precisely on this front that Xelerate.tech decided to create a new division, called DigitalCar, in Porto, which will focus on "the development of technologies for vehicles based on the most recent E/E (electric/electronic) architectures and on the complete virtualisation of critical security systems".
Pedro Rocha adds that Xelerate.tech "is even developing a partnership with [German] AVL Software and Functions", which is presented as "one of the world's leading technology companies for development, simulation and testing in the automotive industry".
Hiring 50 engineers for DigitalCar in 2023
Although "highly qualified professionals" at the service of DigitalCar are "still very few", admits Rocha, without detailing, the CTO of Xelerate.tech estimates that about "50 engineers should be hired by the end of next year".
Considering itself as possessing "a solid base of 'know-how' and experience in the mobility sector", this "will be enhanced through the new automotive technology in Porto, which will help in the transformation and digitalisation of the sector", emphasises the Luso-German company, which did not wish to reveal the value of the investment in question.
The first teams of the company's new division in Porto "will focus on systems engineering for e-drives, power inverters and e-axles, but also on automotive cybersecurity, functional safety and development of embedded software". Through DigitalCar, it intends to provide "concepts, solutions and methodologies for a more ecological, safe and sustainable mobility".
"The city of Porto was a natural choice"
"With its growing technological ecosystem, the world recognises the value of Portugal's evolving digital and information technology scene. Therefore, the city of Porto was a natural choice," confides Rocha. "Surrounded by renowned universities, which train highly qualified young people, the city embodies a vibrant and thriving environment for various technological areas," he praises. He affirms, "All startups and international companies value qualified tech professionals in Porto."
Carsten Stoll, leader of DigitalCar, reels in the praise: "Porto has incredible talent in automotive engineering, coupled with an entrepreneurial mindset," he adds, signalling that "this is an essential foundation to promote and drive the use of future technologies in automotive and mobility."
"Porto has incredible talent in automotive software engineering, coupled with an entrepreneurial mindset." Carsten Stoll, DigitalCar division leader at Xelerate.tech
"All startups and international companies value the skilled tech professionals in Porto." Pedro Rocha, CTO at Xelerate.tech
