Leading French companies in the automotive and technology sectors have announced their intention to create the Software République, which its founders describe as “a new open ecosystem for innovation in intelligent mobility”.
In a joint announcement from Elie Girard, Bernard Charlès, Luca de Meo, Jean-Marc Chery and Patrice Caine, respectively the chief executives of Atos, Dassault Systèmes, Groupe Renault, STMicroelectronics and Thales, they set out the rationale behind setting up the group.
Mobility, they say, is changing and offering new opportunities for growth mainly driven by the emergence of technological disruptions.
But major industrial players on other continents, with state support, are already positioning themselves to develop many of these new technologies through enhanced integration strategies.
The statement continues, “The founding members of the Software République express the urgency for France and Europe to collectively build a sustainable ecosystem that aims to ensure their sovereignty in this field.”
By pooling their complementary expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, connectivity, embedded electronics, and virtual twin technology, the partners plan to collectively develop and market systems and software to “provide an enriched and sustainable mobility offer for cities, regions, businesses and citizens”.
Furthermore, to foster innovation, the Software République will create an investment fund to finance the most promising start-ups and an incubator to host start-ups in the field of smart mobility technologies, where they will have access to a collaborative virtual development and experimentation environment.
