Nissan hires for IT hub at Technopark

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Global automobile major Nissan, which  plans to set up an IT hub at Technopark, has started hiring people for  its Thiruvananthapuram operations. According to IT sources,  the  Nissan Motor Corporation has advertised on professional networking portal LinkedIn for user interface engineers, product owners and head of data sciences for the unit  here. Nissan would soon come out with a formal announcement on its plans.   Sources said that about 99 percent of the paper works in this regard were over.

"Nissan setting up a unit in the state would be a major fillip to Kerala IT sector  which  would  help attract   more global players to this part of the world," IT industry sources said. A delegation of Nissan led by corporate vice- president and chief information officer Tony Thomas, who hails  from Kerala,   had held discussions with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other senior officials in March. They had also visited Technopark and other IT parks in the state.

Thiruvananthapuram MP Mr. Shashi Tharoor had earlier held a video conferencing with Nissan officials and elaborated on  the ecosystem available here. Subsequently, Kerala State Innovation Council chairman K.M. Abraham and IT secretary M. Sivasankar went to Tokyo and  met  top officials of the Japanese firm.  Industry sources said that the proposed global IT hub of Nissan would focus  on emerging technologies like electric  and driverless cars. Nissan  may also set up its own campus in due course.