Valeo Cairo, innovative tech hub for cutting-edge automotive software

In the unprecedented transformation of the automotive industry, software has become a key component to modern mobility. In just 15 years, Valeo’s R&D Center in Cairo has grown into an innovative tech hub contributing to Valeo’s position as a software leader in the automotive industry.

As new generations of cars become more electric, autonomous and connected, the amount of software used in vehicles today has increased exponentially to enable and manage all of these new functions and features.

For an idea of just how important software has become in vehicles today, a medium-haul plane uses about 17 million lines of code. A premium car uses more than 70 million.

From vehicle electrification and automation, to visibility systems and reinventing the interior experience of a car, all of Valeo’s products and technologies use software developed, tested and validated at its R&D Software Center in Cairo, Egypt. The Valeo Innovative & Technology Hub is the company’s global center of excellence for software and the largest R&D center in North Africa.

Valeo Egypt develops 60% of the Group’s worldwide software production and delivers over 250 software projects yearly. With expertise in artificial intelligence, algorithm development, model-based design, machine learning, deep learning and cloud computing, engineering teams here develop software for the latest mobility revolutions shaping the future of the automotive industry.

Mohamed Tariq

“We are disrupting the automotive industry and mobility,” says Mohamed Tariq, Innovation Manager. “Innovation is a key ingredient of what we do.”

Tamer Aly was one of the first 25 engineers who started at Valeo Cairo in 2005. Today, he is Vice President of Group Technical Center & the site’s General Manager, and the site has grown into a buzzing innovation hub of more than 2,500 software engineers. “And we continue to expand day by day,” Aly says. “By the end of 2023, we expect to count 3,000 engineers at the Valeo Cairo R&D Center.”

The site is also home to the Car Lab, which Tariq says is the “anchor of innovation” for delivering advanced automotive technology proofs of concept.

He adds that the R&D center’s location in the diverse open-innovation technology ecosystem in Cairo’s Smart Village, as well as being plugged into a network of universities, research centers and other tech hubs around the world, allows Valeo to push ideas and technologies even further.

Software has become so important in cars that it’s even defining the architecture of vehicles. New vehicles with software have a central computer – called a domain controller – which houses all of the car’s software that enables automated driving, electric motor control, smart lighting and more.

Valeo’s comprehensive offering combining hardware, electronics and software make it a technology company at the heart of the mobility revolution.

Valeo recently signed a major agreement with BMW for Valeo to provide the domain controller, sensors and driving assistance software for BMW’s revolutionary platform generation “Neue Klasse,” due to launch in 2025. Moreover, all ADAS functions will be hosted and processed by Valeo’s systems. The domain controller will host Valeo’s software platform for low-speed maneuvering, as well as software assets from BMW and Qualcomm for driving automation.

Dalia Elshamy

But Valeo’s smart technologies (software, algorithms and AI solutions) are not just for cars and can be applied to all new forms of mobility – public transportation and delivery droids, for example.

“We are constantly challenging ourselves to improve our technologies to make mobility of all types safer, smarter and cleaner,” says Dalia Elshamy, Software Senior Project Manager. “Keep learning, keep exploring. We have an agile growth mindset at Valeo.”

Heba Elkholy

For complex software projects like Valeo’s, experience and knowledge are important, but Heba Elkholy, Senior Software Discipline Manager, says, “It’s more about the potential of team members. What matters most is mindset and vision.”

She adds, “It’s fascinating to see what you can create and achieve with a team of people with different points of view and backgrounds. When you map this to the entire company, whether that’s here in Cairo or with our colleagues around the world… it’s really exciting to write the future of mobility together.”