Since 2018, Hyundai Mobis has been operating the “Mobis Software Academy” that allows employees and researchers to complete specialized software training at a technical institute in Yongin City, a move to reinforce the firm’s software development capabilities.

The biggest feature of the academy is to focus on convergence software processes specialized for autonomous driving, such as sensors and technologies for the vehicles’ “cognition,” “judgment,“ and ”control“ skills.

“It is very rare for an auto parts company to run a large-scale professional software training program comparable to an IT company,” the firm said.

“With the advent of the era of self-driving and connectivity, the proportion of software has increased significantly, and Hyundai Mobis preemptively established a software academy to effectively respond to this,” the official said.

Hyundai Mobis researchers learn not only coding and algorithm design, but also mechanical structure, including the principles on which self-driving cars operate. The firm said it is a unique training course that cannot be performed by general IT companies, and it is expected to generate synergy between hardware design capabilities and software technology accumulated so far.

Through this, the company plans to nurture all researchers into software design personnel who can lead projects on their own.

Recently, it has also established an education platform that allows participants to take software courses online. The move is aimed at helping employees to strengthen their ability to utilize software across online and offline in line with the “untact” trend, which is accelerating amid the pandemic, the firm said.

In addition to the academy’s program to foster software experts here, Hyundai Mobis has also been expanding the operation of its research centers in India and Vietnam, which the firm said can lead to better chances of recruiting top talent.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)