General Motors announced that it is hiring several hundred new employees this year for software positions at its Information Technology Innovation Center in Chandler’s Price Corridor.
“These jobs created by GM are high-wage, high-skill and provide tremendous employment opportunities for our residents,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said. “We appreciate GM’s significant investment in Chandler and look forward to being a partner in their continued growth.”
The Chandler IT Innovation Center is one of the four GM technology hubs located across the country. These centers are designed to help develop GM’s products as it moves towards an all-electric future.
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“As GM transforms from automaker to platform innovator, our IT Innovation Center in Chandler plays an integral role for the future,” Umesh Murthy, director of the Arizona IT Innovation Center, said.
The Chandler Center currently employs more than 1,000 various tech employees at its 170,000-square-foot facility, including software developers, data analysts, product managers, and software architects. Additionally, the company recruits from universities in Arizona and features many entry level positions.
“On top of the region’s deep existing pool of talent, Chandler offers a wonderful quality of life and strong community to newcomers,” Murthy said. “Those who join GM here will have an opportunity to pursue their passions and contribute to GM’s purpose.”
In addition to GM’s new IT Innovation Center, Cruise, a subsidiary of GM, announced last month the rollout of a program in partnership with Walmart that will expand its self-driving delivery pilot in Arizona. Cruise currently runs a small fleet of autonomous Chevy Bolts as part of a pilot program with Walmart.
During an Arizona Senate Transportation Committee meeting, Cruise’s senior government affairs manager, Carter Stern, announced the pilot will expand to eight stores in 2022.
“We’ll really continue to see that grow in Arizona first, and then it’ll be exported to the rest of the country,” Stern said.
The pilot initially started with just one Walmart in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Cruise currently employs more than 100 people in Arizona and is expected to keep adding jobs as the company expands its activities.
These developments are further signs of economic growth in Arizona’s tech sector. Arizona added nearly 38,000 tech jobs from 2015 to 2021. Additionally, Phoenix has seen 30% growth in software jobs over the past 10 years.
This story was originally published at Chamber Business News.
