Indian ride-hailing platform Ola has reportedly announced plans to establish an Advanced Technology Center in San Francisco Bay Area, which is the home ground of its biggest rival Uber, with over 150 engineers in a bid to amplify its engineering and development operations.

With a sole objective of innovation in urban mobility and development of new tech capabilities, the new facility intends on hiring new talent, who will collaborate with global teams across various regions where Ola operates, cited credible sources.

According to sources familiar with the development, the new facility will develop technology solutions for its electric mobility and connected vehicles unit, and also experiment with autonomous vehicles. In an effort to achieve this, Ola plans to hire experts in data sciences, AI, machine learning, engineering, and product development teams.

Ankit Bhati, Ola’s Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, said in a statement that the company is thrilled about launching an Advanced Technology Center in the Bay Area. The Valley and the talent network in this region are favorable for the development of next-gen mobility solutions, Bhati added. Moreover, this also marks a huge milestone in the company’s journey as a global mobility player, with a mission to inspire talent from across the world to be a part of the organization, he said.

For the record, the Bengaluru-based company holds presence across 150 cities in India in addition to operations in countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the UK serving over 150 million users with more than a billion rides every year. The company executed last international expansion back in April in the UK by launching its services in seven cities comprising Liverpool and Manchester.

Presently, Ola has four main operations. Company’s electric vehicle arm Ola Electric and the cab-hailing and fleet management division belong to Ola Fleet Technologies. The company’s financial services arm Ola Financial Services provides micro-insurance and online payment products, while Ola Food brand runs dark kitchens, that cater to online food delivery orders only, reported sources.

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