THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, December 11, 2018 : Yesterday, the first Nissan Global Digital Hub at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan in the presence of K. J. Alphons – Minister of State for Tourism; His Excellency Kenji Hiramatsu – Japanese Ambassador to India; Shashi Tharoor – MP, Thiruvananthapuram; and Tony Thomas, Chief Information Officer of Nissan.
Inaugurating the facility, Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister for the Government of Kerala said, “Nissan coming to Thiruvananthapuram marks the beginning of a new era for Kerala IT. We will do our best to ensure Kerala proves to be Nissan’s second home after Japan.”
The state-of-the-art facility located in Kerala’s IT hub, Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram will be the first-of-its-kind in a number of software and information technology development centers in Asia, Europe, North Americaand Latin America. These centers will drive digital transformation for Nissan’s business by placing digital technology at the heart of key operations and services. The hub in Thiruvananthapuram will allow Nissan to provide application portfolio management, best-in-class user experiences, product development capabilities, data science, cyber security and connectivity as the automotive industry evolves, with growing use of autonomous, connected and electric vehicle technology.
The Minister of State for Tourism, K. J. Alphons, emphasised on the need to support common developmental goals of the state. He said, “The Government of India is keen and proactive in supporting investments in technology sector and that has contributed to Nissan’s decision to setup their first Global Digital Hub in India.”
Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India, said, “Japan–India relations have never been as strong as they are today based on the trust between our two Prime Ministers. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Japan in October, both governments agreed on Digital Partnership and the cooperation in the field of IT. I deeply welcome Nissan’s establishment of Digital Hub in Kerala to take advantage of India’s high-level IT talents. I hope that this partnership helps to drive forward the future of innovation, technology collaboration and talent sharing between our two great nations.”
Congratulating Nissan for setting up the Digital Hub in Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Shashi Tharoor said, “I am happy that the auto giant Nissan decided to set up their first global digital hub in my constituency. I am equally happy about the fact that I could play an early and useful role in convincing the Nissan Management about the advantages Thiruvananthapuram offers. I wish Nissan Digital a very successful future.”
“We are excited to accomplish this key milestone in the journey of Nissan Digital. This Hub in India will serve as an important engine to drive Nissan’s global digital transformation and we already have some of the finest technology talent driving outcomes to serve our customers around the world better,” said Tony Thomas, Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Nissan. “We are honoured to have the Hon’ble Chief Minister for the State of Kerala, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism, the Japanese Ambassador to India, and all the dignitaries grace us with their blessings on this auspicious occasion and the support they have extended to make this possible.”
